Marathon bid in memory of killed solider

Apr 17 2010 by Ruth Lawson, The Journal

AN Iraq war veteran is running a marathon in memory of his best friend who was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

David Henry, of Poplar Lea, Brandon, County Durham, decided to run the Brighton Marathon after Corporal Lee Brownson died on patrol near Sangin in Helmand earlier this year.

Mr Henry worked alongside Cpl Brownson for 10 years, and his death spurred him to do something to honour his comrade and at the same time raise money for Help For Heroes.

The 28-year-old former section commander said: “These soldiers have paid the ultimate sacrifice for this country and we are hugely in their debt for their extreme heroism.”

Mr Henry left the 3rd Battalion The Rifles a matter of months before they were deployed to Afghanistan in October last year.

During the six-month tour of duty the battalion suffered devastating losses, with 17 soldiers killed and a many suffering life-changing injuries.

Father-of-two Cpl Brownson, from Bishop Auckland, died when he was caught in the blast of an improvised roadside bomb on January 16. Mr Henry has kept in close contact with Cpl Brownson’s widow Leeanne – who is expecting their third child in the summer – and their two daughters Ginalee, 10, and Morgan, 4.

He said: “Leeanne’s due in June. It’s a boy and she’s going to call him Lee.” Leeanne and a few other family members will be travelling down to Brighton to cheer David through to the finish line.

He said: “I have been training for just over two months but not as much as I wanted to.”

David, who is now based in Tikrit, Iraq, working in private security, completed tours of duty in Iraq, Kosovo and Cyprus during his 10-year army career.

He said: “I decided to leave the army because a few of my mates started working for private security firms and the wage was a lot better. But I do miss the army.”

Despite being thousands of miles away in Iraq, David has raised an impressive £3,135 for Help For Heroes, a charity that supports those wounded in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

David, who is on leave until early May, struggled to find a marathon to fit in with his trip home and that still had places free.

He said: “There’s no way I could have got in the London Marathon as that fills up years in advance.

“The Brighton Marathon was actually full but when I explained the full story they were fine and said they keep special places aside for things like this.”

Anyone who would like to support David and Help For Heroes can make donations at www.justgiving.com/DavidHenryH4H