Wounded veteran rebuilds life starting a fudge business
A wounded veteran who is blind and nearly deaf has rebuilt his life by creating a new fudge business.
Staff Sgt. Aaron Hale, who served in the U.S. Army for 14 years, started confectionary business Extra Ordinary Delight after Building Homes for Heroes gifted him a customary house. The business originated from Hale’s quest of creating a great Thanksgiving dinner for his family
“I started making desserts, days, weeks in advance,” Hale said during an exclusive interview with FOX Business’ Liz Claman on Thursday. “So much so that my wife McKayla had to start sneaking out the front door.”
The retired Army staff sergeant ended up baking more than what his family could handle in one sitting, allowing his friends and neighbors to enjoy his recipes.
“[Neighbors] were coming back saying, ‘Can we get some more, buy some more of this from you?’ And of course being the capitalist I am, I said of course you can,” Hale said.
“It was six months of complete silence, complete darkness.”
The couple secured a commercial kitchen growing the business exponentially with corporate clients like Boeing and the Royal Bank of Canada.
“Before we knew it, we were cooking 14-hour days out of home kitchen, and we knew we had to expand,” he said.
Hale, a leader of the exclusive Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, defused and neutralized bombs in multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In 2011, during his final tour in Afghanistan, one of the improvised explosive devices blew up in his face, leaving him blind and injuring his ear drum. Later in 2015, Hale developed a severe case of bacterial meningitis that would eventually take what was left of his hearing.
“It was six months of complete silence, complete darkness as I would receive surgery and implants in both my ears,” he said on “Countdown to the Closing Bell.”
Hale is a Building Homes for Heroes recipient, an organization that has been at the forefront of ensuring that Veterans receive the proper care and support they rightfully deserve.