Nick Lavery didn’t have an easy childhood. His parents struggled but did their best to make sure he and his sister were provided for. He spoke admirably about how the efforts his mom and dad put in and also felt that the ability to grind was a gift he got from them. Lavery was athletic and fitness focused thanks to his time on the gridiron as well as from playing lacrosse, wrestling, and running track. He recalled that they moved frequently during his childhood, which made it difficult to develop and maintain friendships. What he lacked socially was made up for when it came to resiliency.
“I was getting some great reps at mental toughness from the time I was four years old all the way up until I got to college.”
He may not have known what he was going to do as an adult, but it didn’t long for him to figure it out. Lavery was 19 years old and focusing on college football at the time the September 11th attacks took place on American soil. After seeing the destruction and the aftermath of the tragic events from that day, he opted to trade his football uniform for the nation’s.
“I began looking at options to enlist or to join the military and ultimately decided to go the route of becoming a Green Beret in the Army Special Forces.”
Nick Lavery
How Resilience Became a Necessity
Lavery reached his goal of becoming a Green Beret in 2010. He was on his second deployment in Afghanistan as a Detachment Weapons Sergeant when his life was changed forever. His detachment fell victim by what is known as a “green on blue” attack. An alleged partner soldier from outside the group turned on the group and opened fire. While Lavery was shielding a fellow soldier, he was shot several times in his lower body from a very close distance. According to reports, six people in total were killed and 20 others were wounded. Lavery nearly died twice during his medical transport. Once he arrived at Walter Reed National Medical Center, he had to undergo over 30 surgeries, ultimately losing his right leg above the knee.
Once Lavery was able to begin physical therapy, it became clear that the struggles were not only going to be physical. He was transparent about the mental struggles as he was
recovering, citing that the concept of giving up crossed his mind more than once. Like all service members faced with that kind of adversity, Lavery came to a crossroads.
“I saw two options on the table from the time I was in the hospital. Option A is you roll over and die. Option B is you figure out a way to get back to doing what you were put on this planet to do. That was it; it was that simple. I of course didn’t have a clue as to how I might go do that, but I knew exactly what I was going to do.”
Nick Lavery
The Road Back To the Fight
Lavery committed himself for the next two years to adjust to life as an amputee and find a way to return to combat. The goal became an obsession for him, even going as far as to practice getting in and out of vehicles as an amputee at a normal speed. The training and tests he put himself through to return to the battlefield were beyond normal standards, but he never shied away from the challenge. 12-mile rucks, dragging 220 pounds in full gear, and proving he could navigate broken terrain and climb ladders with efficiency were only some of the tasks he had to undergo to prove himself.
One can imagine the feeling of victory and redemption that Lavery could have felt when his boots hit the ground in Afghanistan, but that moment was not as it would have been scripted in a movie or in the mind of an average American. As Lavery recalled, it was brief at best.
“I’m talking like seconds. It was like, ‘Okay. I made it.’ Then it’s, ‘Now we have work to do.’”
As brief as that moment was for him, it was something that lasts much longer in the eyes of history. Lavery is the first above the knee amputee to return to full-spectrum combat operations. He received multiple honors for his efforts and heroism, including the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and he later earned the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Excalibur Award.
Nick Lavery
Birth of the Machine
As significant as those honors are, his nickname, “The Machine” is what he may be most proud of because of how he earned it. On his return trip to Afghanistan, kids were running out to see them, which was a good sign. Upon seeing Lavery, they started referring to him as “machine fighter” in their language. What stood out was that it was not an isolated incident.
“Well, that happened again and again throughout that entire deployment. So, this term ‘machine’ kind of became a thing in reference to me as an individual. Next year in Somalia, different continent, same exact thing happens. Okay, so now my teammates are like ‘oh yeah, this is like totally a thing.’”
The nickname stuck and has become a part of himself and his brand. After achieving the redemption of returning to the battlefield, he was advised that he would eventually need hip replacements if he didn’t find another way to serve. He is still on active duty and is currently a Chief Warrant Officer. He also makes a difference with his MCHN (pronounced “machine”) brand, which includes his coaching business, community-driven ecosystem, and tactical philosophy. He also operates a B2B business called Precision Components and is an active public speaker.
The father of two is showing his children and many others around him that regardless of the adversity or struggles they face, there can be a way to not only survive but thrive. That belief can be considered a gift he received from his parents during his own childhood.
“Those seeds were planted just from their work ethic for sure, and their willingness to make sacrifices.”
For more on Lavery, make sure to check out his appearance on the inaugural episode of the Fit to Serve podcast with Tim Wilkins over at the M&F YouTube channel.
