Nick Lavery
Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2)Nick, born and raised in Massachusetts, is an active-duty member of The United
States Army Special Forces. Commonly known as the Green Berets, the Special
Forces perform critical missions including direct action, counterinsurgency,
foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, and unconventional warfare.
In 2013, while deployed to Afghanistan, he and his Detachment fell victim to an
insider attack ultimately resulting in the loss of his leg. Following a year of
surgeries and initial recovery including the use of a prosthetic at Walter Reed
National Medical Military Center, he returned to his unit. Refusing a military
medical retirement, Nick set his sights on returning to operational status.
In 2015, at the conclusion of a challenging, comprehensive assessment designed
to evaluate Nick's abilities to operate, he returned to his Detachment and was
subsequently deployed once again to Afghanistan conducting full spectrum
combat operations. Nick is considered the first Special Forces operator to return
to combat as an above-the-knee amputee.
Nick is currently serving as a Special Forces Warrant Officer and is widely
recognized as an experienced subject matter expert in special operations,
intelligence fusion, mission planning and complex problem solving across all
operational continuums. He is also the first amputee in military history to
complete the Special Forces Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification
course, the Special Operations Combatives Program Instructor course, and the
Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification course.
Nick's awards include the Silver Star, three Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars,
Bronze Star with “V” for valor, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two
Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Service
Achievement Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement
Medal, the OSS Society Peter Ortiz Award, the Bruce Price Leadership Award, and
the Special Operations Command Excalibur Award.
Nick is a warrior, leader, speaker, author and most importantly a husband and
father of two young boys.