Dawn Halfaker. Photo Courtesy: Inc.Com
It was 2004, the early morning of 19th June when the U.S. Army Captain Dawn Halfaker faced the horrible truth of losing her right hand during a patrol mission in Baqubah, Iraq. A rocket-propelled grenade came straight towards her and exploded destroying her vehicle into pieces and slicing off her right hand from shoulder. The grenade also shattered her shoulder blade, damaged her lungs, and broke her five ribs. She was taken to Washington, D.C., at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and took over a year to completely recover.
It might seem one of the most gruesome reality or nightmare in one’s life but the incident left Halfaker to be more stronger and courageous from deep within. She felt least bothered about her personal loss and got strong urge to move on with life for better. In an interview to Inc Halfaker said “The biggest thing I learned being injured is that with every adversity, there’s opportunity.” “I desperately wanted to find a way to stay connected and continue to be part of the fight as my colleagues were still in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
In 2006, Halfaker founded the multi-million dollar dynamic consulting firm Halfaker and Associates, LLC, to offer necessary consultation on physical security, security policy, and emergency management services for military bases that cover administrative, technical support, and training. Throughout her military career, she has been recognized as one of the most excellent leaders of men as well as women in the battlefield as well as while in training in the South Korea, United States, Iraq and Kuwait. In 2011 Worth Magazine ranked her #8 in their Top Entrepreneurs to Watch list, In 2012 she received the Ernst & Young Greater Washington Entrepreneur of the Year® Award and many others.
Info Source: www.halfaker.com/about-us/our-team/dawn-halfaker
