Chief Warrant Officer Two Nick Lavery, who is the first Special Forces operator to return to combat as an above-the-knee amputee, will share his inspiring story of perseverance during a pair of presentations at Troy University on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Lavery will speak at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

“We are excited to welcome Chief Warrant Officer Two Nick Lavery to Troy University. He is no stranger to grit and prevailing over obstacles,” said TROY Dean of Students Herb Reeves. “We are looking forward to Nick’s inspiring story and the motivation it will provide for the Trojan Nation.”

In 2013, while deployed to Afghanistan, Lavery 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, Lavery 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.

Lavery 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.

His 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.

Lavery is a warrior, leader, speaker, author and most importantly a husband and father of two young boys.