thedrifter
05-07-07, 07:14 AM
Family, friends rejoice at Marine's return
Joseph Spector
Staff writer
(May 7, 2007) — HAMLIN — Just a few months since he left fighting in Iraq, Brian Henner sat at a local bar Sunday with a smile on his face.
When he was asked what he learned as a Marine Corps sergeant in Iraq, his answer is almost too obvious to state: Just look at the hugs he was receiving and the proud glow from his parents.
"It makes you pretty thankful for what we have here," Henner said about his 19-month combat tour.
Thankful was the word of the day at the Dakota Grill on Roosevelt Highway, as family and friends celebrated Henner's return from Iraq and the end of his four-year enlistment.
Henner, 22, returned from Iraq in January, finished his duty at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, Calif., and now is home for good. He will attend the State University College at Brockport in the fall and study history.
No one could be happier than his mother, Betsy. "It's a relief not to have to worry every day," she said.
Henner's stint in Iraq gained notice locally and nationally. He served as a Marine photographer and two of his gripping shots have appeared on the National Museum of the Marine Corps Web site — one of a soldier silhouetted by the sun and another of an Iraqi child watching a Marine patrol.
Henner said he enjoyed the opportunity to document memorable sights in Iraq and be able to show those back home. The 2002 Brockport High School graduate said he was eager to join the military after the 9/11 attacks and supports the war effort.
But juggling the photography work and the fighting was harrowing at times, he explained. "It's tough to take good pictures and stay alive at the same time."
Most indicative of that was last July when Henner came under sniper fire at a checkpoint northwest of Baghdad. A bullet clipped his helmet and a lens on his camera broke. The helmet and the lens were on display at at the party.
So happy to have his son home, his father, Mike, reached out to famed nature photographer and outdoor writer Charles Alsheimer to see if his son — an avid hunter — could meet him. Alsheimer, of Steuben County, agreed and they plan to meet soon, Mike said.
It was a small gesture with a larger theme: Henner’s family and friends were just beaming to have him home again.
“For a young person to stand up and serve and help protect the whole country, we have no idea what they are going through,” said Henner’s aunt, Mary Ellen Flannery.
“We have to be proud.”
JSPECTOR@DemocratandChronicle.com
Ellie
Joseph Spector
Staff writer
(May 7, 2007) — HAMLIN — Just a few months since he left fighting in Iraq, Brian Henner sat at a local bar Sunday with a smile on his face.
When he was asked what he learned as a Marine Corps sergeant in Iraq, his answer is almost too obvious to state: Just look at the hugs he was receiving and the proud glow from his parents.
"It makes you pretty thankful for what we have here," Henner said about his 19-month combat tour.
Thankful was the word of the day at the Dakota Grill on Roosevelt Highway, as family and friends celebrated Henner's return from Iraq and the end of his four-year enlistment.
Henner, 22, returned from Iraq in January, finished his duty at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, Calif., and now is home for good. He will attend the State University College at Brockport in the fall and study history.
No one could be happier than his mother, Betsy. "It's a relief not to have to worry every day," she said.
Henner's stint in Iraq gained notice locally and nationally. He served as a Marine photographer and two of his gripping shots have appeared on the National Museum of the Marine Corps Web site — one of a soldier silhouetted by the sun and another of an Iraqi child watching a Marine patrol.
Henner said he enjoyed the opportunity to document memorable sights in Iraq and be able to show those back home. The 2002 Brockport High School graduate said he was eager to join the military after the 9/11 attacks and supports the war effort.
But juggling the photography work and the fighting was harrowing at times, he explained. "It's tough to take good pictures and stay alive at the same time."
Most indicative of that was last July when Henner came under sniper fire at a checkpoint northwest of Baghdad. A bullet clipped his helmet and a lens on his camera broke. The helmet and the lens were on display at at the party.
So happy to have his son home, his father, Mike, reached out to famed nature photographer and outdoor writer Charles Alsheimer to see if his son — an avid hunter — could meet him. Alsheimer, of Steuben County, agreed and they plan to meet soon, Mike said.
It was a small gesture with a larger theme: Henner’s family and friends were just beaming to have him home again.
“For a young person to stand up and serve and help protect the whole country, we have no idea what they are going through,” said Henner’s aunt, Mary Ellen Flannery.
“We have to be proud.”
JSPECTOR@DemocratandChronicle.com
Ellie