Photo By Pfc. Patrick Connery | Pfc. Haley Dilbeck, 36th Engineer Brigade, receives pointers from Staff Sgt. Jose...... read more read more
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For U.S. Army Pfc. Haley Dilbeck, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with 36th Engineer Brigade, the journey to Fort Hood wasn’t part of the plan.
Originally bound for Fort Bragg, North Carolina, following airborne school, a hip fracture rerouted the 20-year-old to Central Texas. Instead of letting the injury define her, she used it as fuel to rediscover her passion: boxing.
Though Dilbeck didn’t initially sign up for Fight Night, a combatives coach encouraged her to try out, and within a few sessions at Warrior Way Fitness Center, she was matched for a bout.
“I didn’t think I’d be ready after the injury, but they reached out and I figured, maybe it’s meant to be,” Dilbeck said.
She competed in the installation’s Fight Night June 27 even after being sidelined again this time with a sprained foot during training. Despite setbacks, Dilbeck said she was ready.
“It’s just three rounds,” Dilbeck said with a smile. “I’ll be alright.”
Her passion for boxing began well before her entrance into the Army.
Raised in Utah, Dilbeck split her childhood between the small town of Huntington and the bustling Salt Lake City suburb of Bountiful, where she moved in with her father as a teen. It was there, on her way to school, she discovered a boxing gym with music blasting at 5 a.m. and something inside her clicked.
“I had started going to the gym before school, but I wanted more of the community, the movement,” Dilbeck said. “I walked into Legends Boxing and fell in love with it.”
Looking ahead, Dilbeck hopes to commission as an officer and pursue work in holistic health or dietetics.
“I love studying how the body works,” Dilbeck said. “Boxing taught me that strength, endurance, even heart health, all connect.”
As for now, she is sticking to being a 91B, a skill she was taught from her father, a truck driver, growing up. Dilbeck said her father was a huge influence in her decision to join the Army and choose a transferable skill.
“I didn’t know where the Army would take me, but I wanted to grow,” Dilbeck said. “Mechanics made sense, you can use it for life.”
To Soldiers recovering from injury, she offers a simple message.
“Don’t let it be the end,” Dilbeck said. “I’ve had so many moments I thought I was done but every time, I came back stronger.”
| Date Taken: | 07.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2025 14:35 |
| Story ID: | 548936 |
| Location: | TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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