HOULTON, Maine — The fourth annual Aaron Henderson Memorial Softball Tournament concluded Sunday after a busy three days of softball in Community Park.
The Merchants were crowned champs of the three-day co-ed tourney, after beating County Yankee 18-17 in the championship. The Merchants were undefeated in the tourney. Shea D Lane, Henderson’s original team, placed fourth in the event.
Team members include, front row from left, Jadon Gentle, Chelsea Gentle, Tyra Gentle and Isaiah Gentle; middle row, Jaron Gentle, Cliff Urquart, Darcy Gentle, Aaron Hutchins and Chad Gentle; and back, Keagan Gentle, Trapper Gentle, Aspen Flewelling, Travis Gentle, Damon Lincoln, Nick Howe, Jordan Guy, Ryan Lincoln and Morgan Anderson.
A total of $2,879 was raised for the Green Beret Foundation from the softball event. A 5K race brought in an extra $788, bringing the total amount presented to the foundation to $3,667.
“Aaron was the kind of guy that just made you smile when you spoke to him,” said Brad Fredericks. “His friendship and love for his family I will never forget. He is missed by so many. Aaron was one of my original players on my Shea D Lane team. Aaron was a phenomenal athlete in all sports. He played left center for Shea D Lane. Every memorial tourney, we leave left center field open for the first inning were Aaron played.”
During the opening ceremony held Saturday morning, Capt. Heidi Alford, a nurse who was with Henderson in the medical wing in Afghanistan, gave an emotional speech. When Henderson was injured, Capt. Alford worked at the British hospital in Afghanistan and was with him for about 14 hours before he was transferred to another facility where he passed. Capt. Alford came to Houlton to meet the Henderson family and see where Aaron grew up.
“While my time with Aaron was brief, I could see what a strong and wonderful man he was,” Capt. Alford said. “Not many a day has passed in the last four years when I have not thought of Aaron. My time with him was one of the most emotional and challenging experiences in my life. The knowledge that I was the last person to ever see him smile, to see the expression on his face and feel the presence that he left in the room, is what brought me here today. Meeting his family and friends, and seeing the community where he grew up has brought me a tremendous amount of peace that I had not thought possible.”
Capt. Alford added the role of a health care officer can be traumatizing.
“While my job in the military is to care for those in the fight, I learned very quickly that it is not without anguish,” she said. “There are no guidelines for what a person can see or how much they can handle, nor is there a rule book with how to deal with these events. I have struggled with the battle in my mind. However, reaching out to people with big hearts like Sam and Christine and the whole Henderson family has helped me deal with the mental journey that goes along with being a medical health care provider.”
