Second Lieutenant Halferty was a member of the 38th Field Artillery Battalion, supporting the 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while directing friendly artillery fire on the enemy near Yongsan, South Korea on 1 September 1950 by enemy mortar fire directed by a female civilian forward observer.

For his leadership and valor, Second Lieutenant Halferty was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat Valor Device, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.