Newcomers lost all in fire; fort's family rallies help

Herald/ Review

SIERRA VISTA — The Hendersons were nearly at the end of their trip that began two years ago at Fort Bragg, N.C., when they departed for the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey, Calif.

They had another training stop at Fort Huachuca, where Staff Sgt. Mathew Henderson would go through the human intelligence collector course before heading for his next duty station at Fort Hood, Texas.

But last month most of their household goods were destroyed or so badly damaged in a truck fire that they had no items to set up a home in Sierra Vista.

The truck fire happened near Benson and as Heather Henderson put it, the household goods “were less than 45 minutes away from being delivered.”

The couple had made a call to the post checking on the whereabouts of their goods, and a woman at the post transportation office said there was a problem.

The problem was later clarified with a “your stuff is gone,” Heather said.

The blaze ended up destroying or making no longer useable 90 percent of what was on the truck.

“Only 30 boxes of the 300 were OK,” she said.

For the couple’s three boys, Logan, 10, Ethan, 4, and Dylan, 2, the lost also included most of their Christmas presents.

Some of the presents were handmade out of wood by their dad, including a seven-foot tall teepee for Ethan and a special gun rack for Logan’s Star Wars light sabers.

Dylan’s large plastic fire engine somehow survived.

All the boys were upset by the lost of their personal items, to include furniture, clothing and toys. Dylan continues to have a hard time sleeping because he is afraid what is left may disappear.

Also gone was a solid wood entertainment center with special compartments for books and CDs — music and movie — Mathew constructed.

It will be hard to duplicate the handmade items right now because all the soldier’s woodworking tools also were destroyed.

The family has received a settlement, and Heather said there are still items to be replaced, like her husband’s tools, but many can’t be replaced, like personal mementos.

Slightly pessimistic, Heather said some of the money will be kept in a savings account “in case we ever experience this again.”

After two years of Arabic language training and almost ready to enter the 18-week intelligence course on the fort, Mathew said he was looking forward to completing the two schools and go on to his Texas assignment. Until he decided to reclassify, the staff sergeant was a cook.

To say the family was “bummed,” using Mathew’s word to describe the incident, is an understatement.

Although he said he normally doesn’t let things bother him, the loss of the household goods, coupled with having to start a class did get to him.

“My stomach was doing hoola hoops,” the soldier said.

With the start of the intelligence class facing him, the soldier knew he had to get his family situation taken care of quickly.

He notified his unit on Fort Huachuca of his family’s situation, and in no time people started donating items and money.

The commander of the 309th Military Intelligence Battalion directed that Mathew’s training be delayed until the Henderson family got back on their feet. The soldier will now start his class in early March.

“The first things we needed to get them were beds for the kids,” Lt. Col. Thomas Miller said.

Mathew said an unknown benefactor not only purchased bedroom furniture for the children, but also for him and his wife, as well as a living room set, dining furniture and an entertainment center.

“I don’t know who the person is, but I want to thank him,” Mathew said.

The post chaplain’s lending closet was first tapped, as Heather approached them for some basic items.

Within a short period the Hendersons’ needs were around the fort, with not only intelligence units and soldiers helping but those from the Signal Corps organizations involved as well.

“It happened very quickly, and the amounts of donations were staggering,” Miller said.

The word reached off base and businesses and individuals in Sierra Vista also helped by providing gift cards, he added.

Many GI families went through things and made up boxes to help the Hendersons, the battalion commander said.

In no time the children had clothes, once the sizes of the boys were known, Miller said.

“It’s a good thing every Army family is a hoarding family, he said.

The chaplains on the fort, the spouses club, Army Community Services and Jim Chambers, the garrison deputy commander, made helping the family their No. 1 priority, Miller said.

The Hendersons are an Army family, and Army folks help one another, he said.

Heather said the overwhelming response was unbelievable.

There was so much provided the family had to say thanks and ask that no more be given but be put into the chaplain’s lending closet for others, she said.

Mathew said when soldier friends at the language school heard he would be going to Fort Huachuca for more training, they said the post and the community wasn’t very good.

Both he and is wife have learned differently.

“It’s not true at all,” Heather said, to which Mathew added, “The community and the (post) staff here are very friendly.”

SENIOR REPORTER Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com.

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