Purple Heart recipient sets sights on recovery, eventually serving his country back in Iraq

Published Aug. 31, 2006
By Senior Airman James Bolinger
436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- When Cheryl Henner was awoken at 3 a.m. June 24 by a telephone call, she let it ring assuming it was a wrong number. When it rang for a second time minutes later, she knew it was about her husband deployed to Iraq.

Master Sgt. Jeremy Henner, a 17-year explosives ordnance disposal technician, called from a hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, to tell his wife some unsettling news. He was injured by an improvised explosive device and was coming home.

Unusual circumstances
Earlier the day before Sergeant Henner, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron explosives ordnance disposal flight chief, responded to an IED report in Baghdad.

"It was an unusual morning for me to go out," said Sergeant Henner. "The only reason I went as a team leader that day was the absence of one other EOD team and to give another team some rest. They had been working for 24 hours."

The report was called in at 2:30 a.m. and the EOD team, led by Sergeant Henner, responded.

En route to the call, one vehicle in Sergeants Henner's convoy struck an IED. No one was injured in the blast, and the team notified their home base of the incident. The response from the base was to secure the scene of the incident.

While securing the scene, Sergeant Henner, another EOD Airman and three Soldiers were struck by a second IED.

"We were in a circle close to the blast," said Sergeant Henner. "It went off right in the middle of us."

One of the Soldiers was killed instantly and one more died while being medical evacuated. The three others, including Sergeant Henner, suffered fragmentation injuries.

Small arms fire breaks out
"I was instantly paralyzed from the shock of the blast," said Sergeant Henner. "I couldn't hear or see anything. It was like someone had their hands over my ears. When you are that close to an explosion, you lose your hearing for a while."

Immediately after the IED exploded, insurgents began peppering the team with small-arms fire. Sergeant Henner, who was an open target, was dragged to safety by Airman 1st Class Nicolas Worthington, a member of his EOD team.

"He dragged me to the side of this building out of the way," said Sergeant Henner. "I remember telling him to leave me be and go shoot back. He kept telling me 'I am not going to leave you.' Finally, I ordered him to 'Get on that line and put some lead down range!' He did after that."

Airman Worthington helped create a firing line with the surviving members of the security team and returned fire.

"As I was falling from the initial blast, I remember thinking 'Did that really just happen?' Did we really all miss that device sitting right in front of us," said Sergeant Henner. "I couldn't believe I was alive given the proximity and the fact that the two guys right next to me got killed."

Going home
Sergeant Henner woke up in the Baghdad hospital the day after he was injured without the ability to move the three smallest fingers on his right hand. It is an ability he still lacks nearly two months after the incident took place. He is forced to type with the pointer finger of his right hand and is undergoing physical therapy to regain the use of his fingers.

A large piece or shrapnel is still embedded in his bullet-proof vest.

"I realized that I did or am going to do something really good," said Sergeant Henner. "It was only by the grace of God that I was lying there alive."

Sergeant Henner spent three days in a hospital in Baghdad and attended the memorial services of the members who were killed before coming home to the United States.

"This was my second incident over there and because of that they were sending me home," said Sergeant Henner. "I remember my commander saying that 'my account with the luck savings and loan was up, so I had to go home.'"

Sergeant Henner contacted his family the day after he was injured to tell them he was OK and going to come home soon.

Remarkable support
"All chaplains have cell phones and they said they would prefer if my family heard it from me that I was going to be alright," said Sergeant Henner. "So this chaplain dialed the number for me and held it to my ear so I could talk to my wife. He had to hold the phone for me because I was still couldn't move my arms."

Mrs. Henner remembers that phone call vividly.

"The fact that it was (Jeremy) who called, and that he was coherent immediately put my fears to rest," said Mrs. Henner. "At that point, I knew that whatever came out of the incident, Jeremy and the family were going to be okay."

Sergeant Henner returned to the United States to finish recovering from his injury and Aug. 24 he was awarded a Purple Heart by Lt. Col. Mark Ruse, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, in front of the entire squadron.

"Although Jeremy was able to call me first, his commander called soon thereafter to make sure I knew about the incident and kept me up to date on Jeremy's return home," said Mrs. Henner. "I appreciate the remarkable support and positive energy Jeremy's leadership at Dover game him throughout his deployment and afterwards as well."

The road to recovery
Sergeant Henner brushes off his Purple Heart saying it happened a while ago and he wants to put the whole thing behind him.

"I look forward to completing physical therapy and getting the use of my right arm back," said Sergeant Henner. "Then I'll go back (to Iraq) when it's my turn again."

Sergeant Henner had the cast, which held his right arm immobilized, removed Aug. 25. Underneath was a five-inch scar that matches the ribbon at the top of his rack. A scar that will serve as a life-long reminder of how he served his country.