Henline is a retired Army Staff Sergeant, last serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. He spent 13 years in the Army, completing four tours. While on his fourth tour in Iraq, three weeks after his arrival, an IED exploded under his Humvee – April 7, 2007 is a day he will never forget. The four soldiers with him were killed. As Henline stumbled out of the wreck, a human torch, he was extinguished by the soldier he had replaced in the Humvee. With burns covering almost 40% of his body, fractured bones in his face, and his head burned to the skull, Henline was put into a medically induced coma for two weeks and was flown back to the states.
During his initial six-month hospital stay, Bobby remained upbeat, positive, and relied on humor to get him through each day. Putting nurses in headlocks, trying to keep other wounded soldiers’ spirits up by telling them jokes, and singing a ditty over and over garnered the attention of his occupational therapist. She challenged him to go to an open mic night and try his hand at comedy, making him promise with a pinky swear. He kept his promise, and that experience started a new chapter in his life. Comedy helps Bobby keep his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Anxiety at bay, and allows him to share his story and healing with others in a positive way.
Today, Henline continues his quest to make people laugh in a variety of venues. He has performed professionally as the “Well-Done Comedian” at Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club (Las Vegas, NV), Laugh Factory (Chicago, IL), and Hollywood Improv (Los Angeles, CA) to name a few.
Henline’s story and lived experiences have been featured in numerous media, including the documentaries “Comedy Warriors: Healing Through Humor”, “Healing Bobby”, and “Weight of Honor”; on CNN, PBS KET, NPR, Today.com, and Time.com; Time Magazine, People Magazine, The Huffington Post, Guideposts, and The Nipawin Journal; as well as television, radio, and podcasts around the world.
His other experience includes modeling, acting, writing poetry, and songwriting. In September 2016, Henline co-founded Bravo748 Military and Combat Speaker Consortium, an organization that invests in speakers with military experience who continue to give back to their communities through their experience, stories, comedy, music, and more.
As a Motivational Speaker/Comedian/Emcee, Henline is comfortable speaking with one person or 1,000’s. He collaborates with and performs for military and military-related organizations to inspire soldiers, veterans, and their families, spreading his message of life, love, joy, and resilience; he visits middle and high schools across the country to inspire young people; and speaks at mental health and other healthcare organizations, sharing his story of resiliency, hope, and healing. In addition, Henline speaks/performs for Law Enforcement and First Responders, Organized Athletics, Universities, Charities, Fundraising Events, and more.
