Halfaker & Associates

News

November 2009

Halfaker and Associates’ CEO Delivers Keynote Address at Coca-Cola 2009 Veterans Day Program

Dawn Halfaker delivers the keynote address at the Coca-Cola 2009 Veterans Day Program

Atlanta, GA—Halfaker and Associates’ CEO, Dawn Halfaker, recently spoke with the employees of Coca-Cola at the 2009 Coca-Cola Veterans Day Program. Dawn was humbled after accepting the invitation to participate in the Veterans Day Program, as Coca-Cola is one of the most successful and well-recognized companies in the world and shares a strong bond and a rich legacy with the U.S. Armed Forces. The vast contribution of the U.S. Armed Forces and Veterans helped to build the Coca-Cola enterprise into the world's leading consumer products system. Dawn delivered an uplifting speech reflecting on what it means to her to be a Veteran and shared vignettes from her personal experiences as a leader in the Army and from the challenging endeavors of her entrepreneurship with Halfaker and Associates.

Dawn described the great privilege of leading soldiers in combat during her 2004 deployment to Baquba, Iraq with the 293rd Military Police Company and truly loved her job in the military. Unfortunately, her military career ended after she was seriously injured on June 18th, 2004 while on a combat patrol in Iraq. After a few weeks in a coma on a ventilator, the amputation of her right arm, a collapsed lung, burns across her face, shrapnel wounds, five broken ribs and a shattered scapula, Dawn regained consciousness and began her extensive recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. The strength of the soldiers surrounding Dawn during her demanding year long recovery inspired her to persevere through the mounting doubt and pain as she relearned how to do daily activities without the use of her right arm.

Dawn Halfaker with J. Alexander M. Douglas, Jr. ("Sandy"), President of the North America Group, The Coca-Cola Company

During her recovery, Dawn found the perfect opportunity to set up her own business and continue her service to the Nation as a consultant at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) helping to manage programs, which were aimed to develop new medical technologies that would help protect Warfighters and save lives on the battlefield. Despite the numerous obstacles, Dawn had a vision and the determination to accomplish her goals: to build a company in the defense contracting industry and continue to support the military despite her injuries received on the battlefield.

After almost four years in business, Halfaker and Associates has grown substantially and now has over 130 employees, 85% of which are Veterans—including the 6 Wounded Warriors in the Halfaker and Associates’ Wounded Warrior Program. Dawn truly believes that the Veterans and Wounded Warriors are the best reason to go to work every day. She finds it hard to have a bad day when working alongside courageous heroes who have sacrificed so much but still want to give and support the military.

Dawn believes that being a Veteran is a commitment, an affirmation that says I wanted to serve my country unconditionally; I want to be committed to country and comrades. To Dawn, this commitment continues and is a central theme in her life.

On Veterans Day, Dawn hopes we will be thankful for the Veterans who have made sacrifices and take time to reflect upon the sacrifices that continue each day in this time of war. Dawn was honored to be a part of Coca-Cola’s Veterans Day Program and would like to thank them for taking the time to honor our Nation’s Veterans.