family . Along their journey , the rebels decided that the men were slowing them down and , for reasons unknown , released them .
A short while after this close encounter , peacekeeping forces increased in Sierra Leone and the rebels retreated . Henry and his family were able to find some semblance of normalcy in their day to day lives . They thought the war was over . Henry ’ s uncle decided that they all needed to move to Freetown , the capital city of Sierra Leone .
In Freetown , Henry and his sister were able to go to school , and they were able to enjoy a small portion of what
It felt like it was us . Like it was me . Everywhere we went , destruction followed . I didn ’ t think we ’ d ever find somewhere to be safe .
it felt like to be “ normal .” This didn ’ t last long – the rebels came back in full force to attack the city . He was back to no food , no sleep , and a constant feeling of terror . Henry recalls several extended periods of only being able to crouch and crawl to move so he would remain out of public view .
During these attacks , Henry and his sister still attempted to attend school , though doing so was incredibly dangerous . The schools were often raided for boys to recruit as soldiers and girls to be taken as wives . One day while Henry was in class , he heard the rebels make entry . Selflessly , he immediately thought of protecting his sister , but remember she ’ d stayed home sick . He was able to focus on getting himself out of the building . He narrowly escaped them and after that day stopped attending school .
Amidst the chaos , Henry ’ s aunt and uncle were able to make arrangements to leave Sierra Leone to go to the United States . Their flight was scheduled to leave on September 11 , 2001 . As they prepared for their flight , the unthinkable happened . Their destination , thought to be safe from experiences like in Sierra Leone , endured an act of war . Henry sadly recalled , “ It felt like it was us . Like it was me . Everywhere we went , destruction followed . I didn ’ t think we ’ d ever find somewhere to be safe .”
An agonizing seven days later , Henry ’ s family would travel to America . He and his family moved in with an older daughter of his Uncle ’ s in New Castle , Delaware . There , Henry began middle school .
In a foreign nation and still trying to cope with his childhood experiences , Henry had a difficult time relating to American youth . At 13 years old he ’ d seen more awful things than many will see their entire lives . He had no relatable experiences on which to bond with other kids his age .
It didn ’ t help that Henry struggled with English , especially writing it . Not only was Henry having a difficult time internally to be social , but the kids at Henry ’ s school were cruel and unforgiving . “ I could feel people pushing me to that point . There were times where I thought I could
actually hurt somebody . Really hurt somebody ,” Henry remembered . He had a lot of anger . He was experiencing flashbacks from post-traumatic stress disorder and trying to process a lot of information that adolescents aren ’ t equipped to handle . On top of his stress from school and his experiences , tensions at home were rising . His relationship with his aunt and uncle was becoming strained .
A teacher saw that Henry was not adjusting well , and suggested that he take up wrestling . Henry was skeptical but attended a practice to watch . About a week later he decided to give it a try .
Wrestling arguably saved him . A newfound outlet to channel his anger and stress , Henry learned to leave it all on the mat . He became a focused athlete who trained hard . At a tournament in eighth grade , Sanford ’ s High School wrestling coach took notice of Henry ’ s skill . He asked him about attending Sanford the following year – a far cry in distance , prestige , and price from his slated public high school – William Penn .
Henry told the coach that he didn ’ t think it was a possibility given his location and financial status , but the coach insisted they explore financial aid . Henry had no
Wrestling arguably saved [ Henry ]. . . he became a focused athlete who trained hard .
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