CPL MATTHEW HENDERSON
MARINE
Matthew Henderson was born on May 15, 1979, in Columbia, MI, and was a 1998 graduate of Palmyra High School in Palmyra, NE.
Following high school, Matthew went on to play football at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln. He loved football (a Husker fan, of course), 4-wheel drive vehicles, hunting, fishing, and animals. Matthew had a golden retriever named Rocket – Rocky for short. Together they played hours of fetch and retrieve, and Matthew said he could have made Rocky a centerfielder on a baseball team.
Matthew married the love of his life, Jamie, and in a testament to the relationship he had with his father, Owen, Matthew asked him to be his best man
Matthew joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2000. After basic training, Matthew took advanced training as a Combat Engineer. Matthew served two tours of duty in Iraq, the first being the initial invasion of Iraq. The second tour of duty began in 2004. Matthew was a squad leader serving with the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, CA.
On 26 May 2004, while on patrol in Al-Anbar Province, Matthew and two other Marines were killed when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated. Matthew was able to warn his squad to retreat before the IED exploded, thus saving many of his fellow Marines.
When Matthew was brought home, he received a hero's welcome. He was laid to rest in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery and is loved and missed by all whose lives he touched. Matthew was 25 years old.
Iraq
26 May 2004
Al Anbar Province