Give the gift of independence to an Annapolis vet.

Annapolis veteran who rescued two children needs urgent home repairs.

Hi everyone. My name is John Wojcik. I’m working with my friend, Brooks Tucker and many others to bring some attention to an Annapolis, Maryland veteran in need. Brooks and I are both combat veterans who are serving on the Anne Arundel County Veterans Commission and live in the Annapolis area. I teach at Anne Arundel Community College and am passionate about advocating for veterans and veterans rights. We invite you to help out a veteran who happens to be a hero—a true hero.

On July 20, 1974, Robert Henson was working as a mechanic at Capitol Motors downtown Annapolis near West Street and Monticello Avenue. He heard some children yelling from a car that was parked on the street. He could see two young girls trapped inside the car. There were flames and smoke coming out of the car when Mr. Henson sprung into action. He opened the door, reached into the burning car and grabbed Michelle Moreland (age 4) and Dana Moreland (age 2) while an off duty firefighter, Nelson Phipps, put the fire out. Mr. Henson and Mr. Phipps actions saved the lives of those two girls.

Henson received an award from the Civitan Club of Annapolis for his heroism, and he proudly displays the newspaper article in the living room of his Annapolis home. Several weeks ago, we heard about Mr. Henson’s story and learned that he needed assistance in rebuilding the wheelchair ramp that allows him and his daughter, Robin to get from their driveway inside their home.

Mr. Henson invited me and Brooks inside and we spent some time talking about the rest of his story. Born in Annapolis on August 1, 1938, he worked at Capital Motors and for several trucking companies in the area. His CB “handle” was Mama’s Baby and he enjoyed driving trucks and fixing cars. When he was in his early 20s, he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he went to ordinance school and learned how to maintain the Army’s equipment and move material and parts. He served at Ft. Hood, Texas and spent two years serving overseas in Germany. After six years, he was discharged from active duty and came back home to Annapolis where he married and raised his family.

At 85 years-young, Mr. Henson has greatly contributed to his community and to his country. Mr. Henson has received a quote from Little Deeds to fix his wheelchair ramp and fix the flooring in his kitchen and make some safety improvements in the kitchen and bathroom. We’re launching this campaign in two phases:

For phase 1, we want to make his house entry and exit safe and fix his wheelchair ramp—something that desperately needs to be done with winter weather approaching. We also want to address the rotting floor in the kitchen, which is a significant safety issue.

For phase 2, we’re going to hire a builder to rehabilitate his home to make it wheelchair accessible—new kitchen floor and handicap accessible counters, sink, cabinets, new bathroom that is wheelchair and handicap accessible, and ingress and egress improvements in the house with other safety items.