Unfortunately, that day Sgt. Burghardt was unsuccessful at disarming an IED before the device exploded, showering and burying him with dirt, shrapnel, and other debris. Colleagues rushed to his aid, initially fearing he was dead, but remarkably his injuries were mostly limited to wounds and burns on his back, legs, and backside, and he returned to duty less than a month later.

While Sgt. Burghardt spent over three weeks recuperating at his unit's headquarters — days he described as "among the most difficult of his career" — he proclaimed that despite his injuries, he was not looking for a ticket out of the country — the incident occurred during his third deployment to Iraq, and he stated that he planned to see plenty more action: "I don't want a ticket out. I want to stay here so we can take as many people home as possible. I'll do 30 years, as long as I'm having fun. Unless I die."