Bobby Henline spoke at Wantagh High School, in October, to talk about how he survived a bomb explosion in Iraq. He uses this awful experience in comedy skits and for his motivational speaking career. This amazing hero helps people look at life with a different perspective. The staff and students of Wantagh High School know Henline through Mrs. Magnuson, an English teacher. Mrs. Magnuson met Henline when she was working at a Wounded Warriors event.

Wounded Warriors is an organization for veterans that offer programs, service, and events for wounded veterans of the military. Magnuson was in charge of transporting the veterans to the event. And one of the veterans she had to take to the event was Henline. Magnuson knew Henline was coming to Long Island to promote his documentary “Comedy Warriors” so she asked him to speak to her students.

In the November 18 issue of Time Magazine, Henline had an amazing six page spread about his life and how it has changed dramatically.

“Knowing him changed my life,” said Magnuson. “I knew that if he could inspire me to look at the world with kinder eyes, he could do that for my kids at Wantagh High School.”

And that’s exactly what Henline, 42, taught the Wantagh seniors and juniors who saw him speak in an afternoon assembly , “to look at the world with kinder eyes.” Nearly all of the students found him entertaining and provocative. “The assembly gave me a new perspective on people with disabilities and how good I have it,” said by Alex Parlato, a W.H.S. junior. Arianna Hill, another junior at Wantagh High School, said that the assembly was “funny and cool because it was different.” Hill also said that Henline “handled his situation very well.”

Henline lives in San Antonio, Texas and is married with three kids. He uses his own experiences in his stand-up acts and for his motivational speaking. He enrolled in the army at the age of 17 and he retired at the age of 19.

After 9/11, Henline enrolled into the army again and was deployed to Iraq three times.

Henline’s life changed completely on April 7, 2007. He and four of his men were in a Humvee in Iraq that was hit by a roadside bomb (I.E.D.). Henline was the only one who survived. For the next 6 months, Henline was in the hospital fighting for his life. More than 38% of his body was burned and he had 40 surgeries. After 2 years, he had to get his left hand amputated. In 2009, Henline promised his occupational therapist he would try stand-up comedy in L.A. while he was in town for a doctor’s appointment. And from then on, his comedy career took off. Henline mostly preforms at Laugh out Loud and River Center Comedy Club which is close to where he lives.

Mrs. Magnuson has been to two of his shows. One was a comedy show in Brooklyn which she said was very funny and she also saw a show of his where he was an inspirational speaker. Magnuson said that he was a master at inspirational speaking as well. Henline also speaks with companies, individuals, and non-profit organizations.

More than 51,000 U.S. soldiers were wounded during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. And as many as 20 percent of the uninjured troops suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder.