In September of 2011, MSgt. Deslauriers, a 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician, was mounted in a mine resistance vehicle conducting a post-blast assessment of an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Explosive Ordnance disposal specialists are tactical and technical explosive efforts who are trained to destroy and disable unexploded ordnance, improvised explosive devices and weapons of mass destruction. In an effort to get a closer look at the damage done by an IED blast, MSgt. Deslauriers dismounted and subsequently set off an IED. The explosion that ensued resulted in MSgt. Deslauriers losing both legs above the knee, and his left arm at the elbow.

MSgt. Deslauriers, who carried out two tours of duty in Afghanistan and served in Iraq, Kuwait and Kosovo, was immediately evacuated to National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland where he was met by his wife Lisa, who, at the time, was eight months pregnant. She has since delivered the couple’s first child, a son named Cameron. MSgt. Deslauriers earned the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Joint Service and US Air Force Commendation Medal, US Air Force Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and more.