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| Iraq |
| Helmet saves local Marine |
| 2006-07-26 |
| After coming under sniper fire twice last weekend and engaging in a 25-minute firefight with Iraqi insurgents, U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Brian M. Henner walked away with just a dent in his helmet. Henner, son of Mike and Betsy Henner of Newco Drive, told his parents about the experience in an e-mail and phone call on Sunday. Mike Henner said his son came under fire while working a vehicle inspection checkpoint outside of Haqlaniyah, in Anbar province northwest of Baghdad. "There was a set of woods about 150 yards away from where he was, and a sniper nailed him in the head," said Henner. "It took him right off his feet. The only thing he had to hide behind was about 10 inches of grass in the median." Henner said his son and fellow Marines engaged in a 25-minute firefight, killing at least three insurgents and capturing six more. "They found all these AK-47s, but didn't find the weapon used to shoot Brian, or the sniper," said Henner. "Then the next day, he was out in the same area doing the same thing — with one hell of a headache — and he took sniper fire from a building 500 yards away." Henner, a combat photographer, sent his parents a photo of his dented helmet with his e-mail. "Oh, I got shot in the head by an enemy sniper. Thank God for Kevlar," he wrote, referring to the bullet-proof synthetic fiber used to make helmets. Betsy Henner said she was glad her son called to explain the e-mail and reassure her that he was OK."He put it in such a funny way, like 'Oh, by the way, I got shot,'" she said. "I think his sense of humor gets him through." Mike Henner said his son's photographs show the real story in Iraq: that the soldiers are there doing important work and the people of Iraq are grateful. "He says we need to be there, and we're making great strides there," he said. Brian Henner, 22, is a 2002 graduate of Brockport High School. He joined the Marines three years ago and has served 14 months in Iraq, said his father. "We expect him home in January," he said. |
| Posted by:Phomoque Crease7267 |
| #1 I always wore the steel pot and had a lot of doubt about the new helmets, but I guess this proves they are up to the task. Thank God for Henner's sake. Most of these guys have been taking shots in the neck which is still unprotected, therefore glad this sniper didn't catch on. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-07-26 11:36 |