Join us on November 14th for a special event with Brad and Jess Halling, founders of BHAWK Whiskey Distillery in Southern Pines, NC.

Born and raised in the midwest, the Hallings have long called the Fort Bragg, North Carolina area their home. Active participants in veterans’ charities and long-time whiskey and wine enthusiasts, the Hallings purchased and began shaping 175 Yadkin Road, Southern Pines, North Carolina in early 2020 with a vision of creating two premium brands and an immersive distillery experience for whiskey lovers, local residents, tourists, and the surrounding military community.

Event Details

$75 per person/ $125 couple includes whiskey tasting, appetizers, and a presentation by Brad and Jess Halling.

Must be 21 years of age to attend.

Brad Halling

Sergeant Major, U.S. Army, Retired

Brad’s Special Forces career began in 1983 in the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) where he deployed to Honduras as part of a group of military advisors in support of a now-declassified military and paramilitary operation.

From 1984-1987, Brad served in 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Operational Detachment 62, where the Group’s operational area of focus was the then Eastern Block, with Brad’s team’s focus on Poland.

In 1987, Brad served in the Physical Security Support Element – Berlin, prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the re-unification of Germany. PSSE was a cover name for the 410th Special Forces Detachment and successor to “Detachment A” which operated in Berlin from 1956-1984. PSSE was a small special forces organization tasked with clandestine unconventional warfare and counter-terrorism, including a stay-behind mission in the event of a Soviet invasion. In 2014, both Detachment A and PSSE-Berlin were declassified by U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

In 1990, Brad transitioned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He deployed to Somalia as part of Task Force Ranger and fought in the Battle of Mogadishu, later depicted by Hollywood in the movie Black Hawk Down. While fighting in what arguably remains the longest sustained firefight since Vietnam, Brad was wounded when a rocket propelled grenade struck his helicopter, call sign Super 62, and amputated his left leg above the knee.

Brad became the first above-knee amputee to remain on active duty through full Army retirement. He returned to work, remained operational and on airborne status, engaged in SCUBA training and silently paved the way for amputees across the services to participate in what is known today as the Continuation on Active-Duty program. Brad was also one of the first Americans to wear the revolutionary “bionic knee.”

After retirement in 2000, Brad completed a graduate program at the University of Connecticut to become a Certified Prosthetist. While working in a prosthetic clinic in Long Island on 9/11, he felt called to return to Fort Bragg. By 2003, Brad returned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command to train Soldiers where he continued to serve until founding BHAWK.

Brad is referenced in books like Black Hawk Down, Battle of Mogadishu, Modern American Snipers, Day of the Rangers, and others.

Jessica Halling

Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired

Jess enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1991 as a Russian Linguist and Interrogator while attending college at the University of Minnesota and law school at Hamline University School of Law. She graduated from the Russian Language program at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California and Interrogator Training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

Jess entered active duty and was commissioned as an Army Judge Advocate in 1998. Jess’ regular Army military assignments included the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Trial Defense Counsel, Yongsan, Korea; Judge Advocate, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii; Rear-Detachment Staff Judge Advocate, 82d AirborneDivision, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Eustis, Virginia; and Command Judge Advocate, NATO Land Command, Izmir, Turkey.

Among other career highlights, Jess also served as a Senior Legal Advisor in U.S. Army Special Operations Command and for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She culminated her career as the Staff Judge Advocate for Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, serving a total of eight years as the principal legal advisor in these Special Operations Units with an emphasis on national security law. Jess also served as the principal legal advisor for several deployed Joint Task Forces.

Jess has served on multiple deployments to Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Korea, and other locations. Jess has managed multiple legal teams and served as Senior Legal Advisor to seven senior military commanders. She is a graduate of Airborne School, Air Assault School, and Survival, Escape, Resistance, Evasion (SERE). Jess currently serves as the General Counsel to Horizon3.AI, a Silicon Valley cybersecurity start-up that proudly employs Special Operations Veterans.

An Evening with Brad and Jess Halling