First Lieutenant Vandegrift was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force based in Camp Lejeune, NC. He was killed during combat operations in Basra, Iraq on April 21, 2008, four days after his 28th birthday.​

He joined the Marine Corp in 2005 upon graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in international business. Although he grew up in Austin Texas, he called Littleton Colorado his home.  He was known for working hard and putting other first.