VALDOSTA — As the crime reporter, I meet and work with several law enforcement officers every day. However, with all the contact I keep with officers who handle the thefts, violent crimes and accidents, it is rare that I get the time with speak with the officers who handle policy and procedure for a law enforcement agency.

I recently expressed an interest in meeting a “behind the scenes” law enforcement officer to Lowndes County Sheriff Chris Prine. He recommended Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Major Logan Henderson, who he described as a “longtime friend and a good guy.”

Despite his quiet demeanor, Henderson opened up and shared interesting details from his life with me during our interview. Here is his story:

Logan Henderson was born in North Carolina in the mountains. His family moved to Lake City, Fla., when he was 5 years old. Henderson spent the remainder of his childhood in Lake City and graduated from high school in 1968.

“After I graduated, I went to a school in Nashville, Tenn., for auto and diesel mechanics and welding,” Henderson said. “A few months before I was to finish, I found out that my next-door neighbor from back home got killed in Vietnam, so I decided to quit school and join the Air Force.”

Between quitting school and going active duty, Henderson relocated to Valdosta to take some classes at Valdosta Technical College. During that time he met and began dating Sue Lindsey of Valdosta.

Henderson went over to Vietnam in 1970 and worked with ammunition.

“I handled anything from small firearms to large explosives,” he said.

Henderson was stationed at Phan Rang Air Force Base during his one-year stay in Vietnam. He returned home in May 1971.

Although the war exposed Henderson to several things, Henderson said, “I didn’t have it nearly as bad as some of the other guys did.”

Henderson married Sue the month after he returned to the Valdosta.

The couple then moved to Montgomery, Ala., where Henderson was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base. There he was trained as a firefighter.

“We stayed there for a year. Then I went to Guam and slept in a tent for six months.”

In 1973, Henderson returned to Alabama, and that November he and his wife moved back to Valdosta.

“I worked a few jobs when I got to Valdosta,” he said. “The first job I had in law enforcement was at the Valdosta Municipal Airport. I worked for a department called the Valdosta Crash Rescue and Airport Police. It was a joint fire and police department.”