11/20/2025
Wayne F. Henderson is a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam combat veteran who served from 1964-1972. He enrolled at Purdue University in 1959 on a full Navy ROTC scholarship and became the first freshman selected as drill captain for the six-time National Champion Purdue Drill Team, performing at the White House for President Kennedy in 1961. He graduated in 1964 as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a double major in industrial engineering and industrial management/finance.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, Henderson graduated at the top of his class at The Basic School in Quantico, Va. In Vietnam, he served as an artillery forward observer and reconnaissance platoon leader, leading or participating in more than 40 combat patrols, ambushes, and long-range reconnaissance missions. He trained local militias and flew over 20 aerial observer missions, adjusting artillery and naval gunfire on enemy positions. For his actions, he received the Bronze Star Medal with combat โVโ for valor.
Between Vietnam tours, he served as Adjutant of the Marine Barracks in Pearl Harbor and as Casualty Notification & Assistance Officer for Hawaii and the Pacific Basin.
After leaving the Marines, Henderson built a successful career at AT&T, retiring as director of network operations in 1990 before founding Capital Dynamics International, a high-tech consulting firm that helped bring internet access and telecom service to millions in developing nations.
He has served on the Madison Patriotic Celebrations Committee since 2002 and enjoys mentoring veteran entrepreneurs through Farleigh Dickinson Universityโs Veterans Launching Veterans program.
A certified SCUBA master diver with more than 1,000 dives, Wayne dives annually with his wife, Stacie. At 84, he remains active at the Madison YMCA and still skis. A lifelong music lover, he once toured as a backup singer with Louis Armstrong before college. Wayne is the proud father of Kevin, an Air Force veteran, and Reily, a school librarian.
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Thank you Wayne for sharing your awesome story, and to all of our veterans! PS. We are still matching donations by 20% to 'Welcome Home Vets of NJ' for all of November! Link in bio.
