"That's what he wanted to do was be in the military," says Ray Deghand, Bernard's father, "he could've done anything else he wanted to do, but he didn't want to do that, he wanted to protect the people of the United States and that's what he did." Ray Deghand is father to six children, the youngest was Bernard. "Bernie was the life of the party, never a dull moment when Bernie was around," says Bernard's sister Sandy Short.

At 42, Bernard leaves a wife, Lisa, and three children, along with his parents, grandfather, five siblings and more than a dozen nieces and nephews. "It's just been devastating," says Short, "you just don't think it'll happen to you, especially not Bernie." While every family member will say he left them too early, Bernard did leave quite an impression.
"He didn't know a stranger, he was just one of those people," Ray says.

"Bernie had a big heart, he can give a great hug, but he can give you heck too," says his sister-in-law Peggy Deghand. "He said this is what I want to do and we just have to respect, this is what he said and be proud of him," Short says, "I was so proud of him." Bernard was killed in a small arms fire fight in Afghanistan. He was a division training officer out of the 35th Infantry, training the Afghanistan National Army.