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Today, on Veterans Day 2025, we honor the men and women who have served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces. On the Walden Security team, we have 1,374 members who have answered the call to serve. Thank you for your courage, sacrifice, and commitment in protecting the freedoms we hold dear.
We are proud to highlight a few of our veterans. We are a better, stronger company because of you. Thank you for your service.
Brian Holley – Charlotte, NC
Brian Holley joined the Walden Security team a year ago, joining us from another security company. He started as a Field Supervisor before becoming a Site Supervisor, overseeing 10-12 officers responsible for protecting a 260-acre site with over 2,600 employees.
His military experience includes 15 years in the Navy, during which he was deployed to Operation Desert Storm on both the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS George Washington with the Fighter Squadron VF-143. He received various awards, including a Letter of Commendation, Letter of Achievement, and Letter of Appreciation. His awards list continues with his highest awards, including the Southwest Asia Service Medal W/2 Bronze Stars, the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
He then went from active duty to reserves, serving 2 years with the Marines with the Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare (MIUW).
Shanon Kimball – Alaska
Shanon Kimball was our 2024 Court Security Officer of the Year for the District of Alaska. She received the recognition for many reasons, including her efficient response and incident command when a credible bomb threat was received during an active shooter training.
In fact, she has served at the same courthouse in Anchorage for 25 years. Her resume of service also includes 4 years in the Air Force as Security Police, where she guarded bases, weapon systems and planes. She was stationed in England and North Dakota. As a legacy, every generation in her family has served in the military.
Apart from her work as a CSO, Shanon runs her own K9 search and rescue non-profit: North Paw K9 Search and Rescue founded in 2016. North Paw specializes in urban tracking, trailing dogs and recovery assets in the Municipality of Anchorage and throughout the state of Alaska. Currently, North Paw has 4 operational dogs–two of whom are Shanon’s bloodhounds Abbie and Raven–with more being trained.
In 2018, Shanon was an Incident Commander and Dog Handler with the Alaska Incident Team that received the Mel Nading Search and Rescue Award for managing a seven-day search for a missing child. The mission involved search resources, including USGC helo, overflight by Alaska Wildlife troopers, NOAA aircraft with IR capability, K9, ATV and watercraft SONAR with underwater camera capabilities.
Shanon also serves as a Team Adam Consultant for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
David Dawkins – Dallas, Texas
David Dawkins has been with Walden Security for 8 years, the last 6 years of which have been as Field Supervisor. Prior to that, David spent a decade in corrections. What he enjoys most about his role is interacting with his officers. “Every day, I have the opportunity to help them improve and excel,” said David.
David served in the Navy from 1990 to 1994, achieving the rank of Petty Officer Third Class. He was a Signalman, responsible for sending, receiving, encoding and decoding visual message traffic. He made two six-month deployments during his service to the Mediterranean, plus smaller cruises to the Caribbean, the Black Sea, and the West Coast of Africa.
David’s family is born and bred Navy. “At the time I enlisted, my father, mother, brother and sister were all on active duty with the Navy,” said David. “I also had three uncles who had been sailors. Currently, I have one nephew in the Navy, serving with a Marine Unit as a Corpsman.” In addition to the Navy, David had two uncles who served in the Army and Marines, and a grandfather in the Air Force.
Below is a portrait of David’s family. His mother and father are in front, sister and brother behind them, and David in the back. His father retired as a Utilities Constructionman, with 26 years of service. His mother retired the same day, as a Chief Hospital Corpsman, with 16 years of service. His brother ended his enlistment as an Aviation Ordinanceman Third Class. He later earned a university degree, and a Commission in the Army, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. His sister retired as an Engineman, First Class.
“Thanks for letting me share my pride in my family. Happy Veterans Day to all my Brothers and Sisters out there.” – David Dawkins
Gene Cardwell – Birmingham, AL
Six months after high school, Gene Cardwell joined the Navy, following in the footsteps of his father. He served for 12 years primarily as an intelligence analyst, deployed multiple times to the Eastern Pacific, Mediterranean and England. He received the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and Marksmanship Medal.
Gene joined Walden Security six months ago as Branch Trainer for our Birmingham office. He teaches Initial Security Officer Training, CPR and firearms. The core values of the Navy—Honor, Courage and Commitment—influence his teaching daily. Similar to our slogan, “Setting the Standard by Setting the Example”, Gene learned in the Navy that you must have a standard and exemplify the standard daily, especially in the small things. As a trainer, you not only teach the standard, but lead by it and exemplify it daily.
