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There will be visiting hours for Marine Sgt. Robert Hendriks from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, at Whitting Funeral Home on Glen Cove Avenue in Glen Head. There will be a graveside service at 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday at Calverton.
Hendriks, 25, a 2012 Locust Valley High School graduate, was among three Marines who were killed in a roadside bombing earlier this month. Sgt. Benjamin Hines and Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman were also killed in the blast.
“Our staff members remember his kindness, passion for service, and commitment to friends, family, and our country. Following graduation, he immediately enlisted in the Marines and sacrificed everything for others,” officials from his former school district said in a statement.
“As a school community, we understand that we are all able to be here today, to live our lives, and to have opportunities and experiences each day due to the sacrifices that have been made by Marine Corporal Robert Hendriks and other Americans serving in our armed forces.”
Hendriks had reportedly been scheduled to return home in a few weeks. His younger brother, also a Marine, escorted his body back to the country.
A news release from the Pentagon stated that the Marines were conducting combat missions in the Parwan province. They were part of a 14,000-troop American contingent remaining in the country to train troops and to conduct counterinsurgency strikes.
“I have directed all Nassau County flags to fly at half-staff in honor of the 3 servicemembers who were killed in the bombing of an American convoy in Afghanistan,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran posted on social media on April 10. “One of those killed was Cpl. Robert Hendriks, 25, of Locust Valley. My prayers go out to the Hendriks family.
Players on the Locust Valley High School boys lacrosse team are wearing stickers on their helmets with Hendriks’ initials and the U.S. Marine logo. A scholarship is also being set up in Hendriks’ name. The family has requested that any contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.
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