Few people have experienced the bond that forms between people who emerged from a shared near death experience with a renewed will to live. Captain Dawn Halfaker and Staff Sergeant Norberto “Norbie” Lara started their unexpected journey together on June 19, 2004 in Baqubah, Iraq when their combat patrol was hit by a barrage of small-arms fires and RPGs. After a grenade pierced and penetrated the front of their vehicle, sliced off Norbie’s arm, and exploded next to Dawn, their collective struggle began in earnest as they both fought for their lives.
