Harrington D. Henry

Harrington Henry was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1971. Although an American citizen by birth, he was raised in Jamaica. Growing up in an “underdeveloped country,” Henry was fascinated by the efficiently operated US Navy dock at a Jamaican port, and the sailors’ neat white uniforms. Some years later, he saw a newspaper advertisement for an engineering apprenticeship with no prior training required. Eager to apply, Henry contacted the employer, who was a recruiter for the US Navy, and requested an opportunity to pursue the apprenticeship. He sent off to Naval Station Great Lakes to begin his training. 

Joining the navy was not easy for Henry. His mother was reluctant to let him join the service. Since he was only seventeen and a half years old, he needed a parental signature to allow him to enlist. Henry was determined; however, and he got his mother to sign his enlistment papers at 3:00 in the morning!

Henry went off to Naval Station Great Lakes — or “Great Mistakes,” as he and his fellow trainees called it, because of the Illinois camp’s cold winter weather, coupled with freezing winds from the lakes. Despite the cold, walking was the main method of transportation around the base.

At Great Lakes, Henry experienced culture shock. He retained his heavy Jamaican accent, and rarely spoke after an incident of miscommunication with his American drill instructor. Henry also experienced his first instance of racism at the camp, when a Southern Caucasian sailor trainee called him “boy” in a derogatory fashion. Henry did not think much of the epithet, since in Jamaica the word “boy” was used frequently when referring to his friends. This was until an African American trainee informed Henry that the Southerner was insulting him. Henry was astonished by the assertion, as racism was not something he had experienced in Jamaica.

After Basic Training, Henry advanced into the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) school for propulsion engineering. He was sent to Guam to board the USS White Plains. Henry was disappointed, as he was hoping to be sent to New York — not on an island in the Pacific Ocean, far away from the US and the rest of the world. Despite his qualifications and education, on the USS White Plains he learned quickly that he had to earn his way to gain respect.

As the newest member of the crew, Henry was assigned the worst bunk on the ship, the bottom one of a three-tiered bed that was closest to the bathroom. The best bunks were the furthest away from the bathroom. As he stayed on board longer, he realized he could get promoted to better bunks after their occupants left.

Henry’s duty on the USS White Plains was not what he expected. As the ship’s engineer, he expected to be performing routine maintenance and repairs. Instead of being a “wrench turner” — an operator of a turbine or boiler —his task was “scut work” such as wiping the oil off gear. Henry was later promoted to the position of messenger. He was aboard the USS White Plains during Operation Desert Storm, providing logistical support. The ship sailed on seven-day trips, from Subic Bay in the Philippines to Kuwait, transporting supplies including food and fuel for the soldiers on the ground.

After the conflict, Henry was promoted to E-5 and assigned to the USS Donald B. Berry, docked in Staten Island, New York, as part of a crew maintaining the inactive ship. When the Berry was sold to the Turkish Navy, he taught the Turkish sailors the mechanics of the vessel, but was bewildered by the fact that the Turkish sailors consumed opium between shifts.

Henry wanted to get a power plant operating license, because it could be transferred to civilian power plants when he left the navy following nine years of service. A Department of Labor employee suggested that he join the Reserves or National Guard on leaving active duty, stating that he would receive benefits due to his military experience and still could serve his country. In November 1998, a friend suggested that Henry should come to Sea Girt, New Jersey and enlist in the National Guard. He liked the National Guard and decided: “This is where I need to be.”

In 2005, Henry was assigned to a newly formed unit, Delta Company, the first Forward Support Company (FSC) of the New Jersey National Guard. The company was attached to a brigade combat team, and he was promoted to Sergeant E-6 and advised that a deployment for his unit was coming up. Henry was assigned as squad leader for the Distribution Platoon. He was the only E-6 out of thirty people in the platoon, and there no E-7 sergeants, so he requested that he be appointed as platoon sergeant, which was granted after he received training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Following his return, the unit was sent to Iraq. After their arrival, news arrived that Saddam Hussein was hanged, and the camp was ecstatic.

Being a Platoon Sergeant was not an easy task and demanded a variety of skills. On one mission, Delta FSC was ambushed by Iraqi forces and lost eight trucks. On another occasion, a female soldier became pregnant, and Henry ensured that she got safe passage home. He was advised that a platoon was ambushed enroute to Baghdad, and three soldiers were missing. Despite being a logistics unit, “everyone had to stop every car and search it.” Henry had his twenty tractor trailers, and four-gun trucks pull over to establish a checkpoint. Despite being undermanned for the task, he and his soldiers had to “put their lives on the line” to look for the missing soldiers.

On his return to New Jersey, Henry was assigned to the 117th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion for three years. During his stint in the battalion, he was promoted to Sergeant E-7 after passing courses at Fort Lee, Virginia. Henry said he was grateful for the opportunities the National Guard has given him, from learning the basics of soldiering to acquiring the skills to become a “leader in combat” while deployed with a unit. He believes he was “lucky” that he had the opportunity to be promoted gradually and advance progressively as he learned various skill sets.

Following his time with the 117th, Henry was assigned to the 77th Sustainment Brigade as a Senior Operations Sergeant. He became Senior Logistics NCO who had direct contact with the Colonel and Sergeant Major and was briefed on all Brigade operations.

In 2015, Henry was informed that he would be deployed in a Brigade Detachment back to Iraq. He was surprised to be listed as Sergeant Major instead of his Brigade Sergeant Major, who was not eligible for the operation. Henry did not have the credentials to be a Sergeant Major, so was sent to Fort Hood, Texas to train for the slot prior to deployment.

On arrival in Iraq, Sergeant Major Henry’s unit was sent to Camp Taji, Iraq, which was 20-30 miles north of Baghdad. The logistics operation was considered a success due to his team’s groundwork. He helped establish an Iraqi logistics cell from the ground up. Henry compared it to “building a castle out of sand and trying to keep it together.” He also trained Iraqi soldiers, generals, and colonels, improving their logistics knowledge. Although trust was low between the Americans and Iraqis, Henry bonded with the locals so well that Iraqis in Taji called Henry and his Colonel, the “Kings of Taji.”

American and Iraqi soldiers drank tea together in Taji and talked about their families. They considered the irony that the soldiers from both sides of the camp were fighting each other on previous occasions, but now were fighting together to defeat ISIS. “Peace should be understood,” and “the meaning of freedom should also be understood,” said Henry. At the time of his interview, SGM Harrington Henry was stationed at Fort Dix in the Sergeant Major Academy.

Additional Resources:

• DVIDS News – Soldiers compete to become “Best Warrior”
• Welcome Home, US Army Sgt. Major Harrington Henry