Henderson, Aaron Arthur

Aaron Arthur Henderson was born in Houlton, a small town in northern Maine. He joined the U.S. Army and became a Special Forces soldier, serving with the elite 5th Special Forces Group. The unit, headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, specializes in unconventional warfare and foreign internal defense.

On October 2, 2012, Henderson was killed in Bagram, the site of a major U.S. airbase in Parwan Province, Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, his death was the result of a hostile incident. Specific details of the event were not widely released, but it occurred during a period of heightened insider attacks against coalition personnel.

Henderson died during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. By 2012, the conflict was in its eleventh year, with a surge of U.S. forces having been deployed and subsequently drawn down. The mission focused on counterinsurgency and training Afghan security forces.

His death was reported by national and local news outlets. The Army posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. A memorial service was held at Fort Campbell, and he was buried in his hometown of Houlton, Maine.

Sergeant First Class Henderson is remembered on memorial walls at Fort Campbell and within the Special Forces community. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Houlton International Airport, honoring local residents who died in the conflict.

SFC Henderson was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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