KNOX COUNTY, Ill. — Byron Baird grew up on a farm, but in April 2010, the skills of his rural childhood collided with the reality of war in Afghanistan.

“I was a farm boy... they decided to put me into this truck,” Baird said.

The military vehicle was designed to clear minefields and take massive explosive hits.

“My job was to clear mine fields,” Baird said. “That truck… it saved my life.”

On April 26, 2010, a 600-pound homemade bomb exploded under his vehicle. The blast left him unable to walk for three weeks. Today, Baird lives without about 80% of his hearing and complications from a traumatic brain injury.

After about three weeks recovering from some injuries, Baird chose to return to Afghanistan despite the option to return home. “I felt like it was my thing to stay...so I decide

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