?»?During his Army career COL Henson served two combat tours in Southeast Asia and has logged over 3000 hours of flying time. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars, seventeen Air Medals and the Purple Heart. He completed numerous military schools including the Army Test Pilot Course, Special Electronic Warfare Training, the Defense Intelligence College and the Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course.

He had considerable experience in testing and operating helicopters with advanced electronic surveillance systems. In one program he flew combat tests in Vietnam on a highly modified AH-1G helicopter that teamed with a YO-3 surveillance aircraft to do night interdiction missions.