Bobby Henline makes jokes about the injuries he’s sustained in Iraq. Before the audience can laugh at him, Henline must first make them comfortable with the way he looks. (Photo Credit: Marianne Reid Gildea)

December 30, 2009 · “Our next act is the man YOU ALL came here to see.  Ladies and Gentlemen, Bobby Henline.”

It’s open mic night at the Rivercenter Comedy Club, the place in town where aspiring comics test out new material and try to get someone in the small crowd to laugh.  But Iraq War veteran Bobby Henline knows that before anyone can laugh at him, he must first make them comfortable with just looking at his burned skin and amputated arm. 

“In case you didn’t notice, I’m a burn survivor.  I’ve been extinguished for years now.  It’s actually a rare birth defect.  It’s a sad story. My mother had to work in the circus as a fire eater while she was pregnant and she thinks she has the right to complain about her acid reflux.  Mom, come on!” said Henline. 

Most of Bobby Henline’s face and head is a burn scar. Parts of his ears are missing. Scar tissue makes it difficult to open his left eye and very little hair grows on the top his head. His left hand and forearm below his elbow were amputated six months ago. But despite the horrific injuries he’s endured, Henline gets the audience to laugh.

Bobby Henline has become a regular comic at open mic sessions in San Antonio clubs, including the River Center Comedy Club and Laugh Out Loud. Here he performs his routine at Laugh Out Loud on December 29, 2009. (Photo Credit: Marianne Reid Gildea)

“Christmas, you’ve got to spend lots of money, I hate spending money.  Halloween is my favorite holiday because I make lots of money at the haunted house.  I made fifty bucks laying in my neighbor’s yard.  I even got a modeling job at the Halloween Super Store,” said Henline. 

A roadside bomb hit the Army convoy truck Henline was driving in Iraq nearly three years ago. He spent months recovering inside the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, and went through dozens of surgeries.  During the most difficult days of his recovery, he tried to maintain his sense of humor, telling jokes to his doctors and therapists. 

“And they just thought I was funny, and they were like you’ve got to go do stand-up. And I thought, I can’t do that. It’s different making you laugh here.  You understand what’s going on and we have our little jokes. But to go up there and write jokes and get everybody else to laugh at what’s going on — I thought would be hard,” said Henline. 

Every time Henline steps up to the microphone, it is another step in his emotional healing process. 

“So, of course the first thing I do is usually get the pink elephant out of the room and make fun of the way I look.  I’ll start off with a zombie joke. So I always try to get that out of the way first to let them know it’s okay to laugh at me,” said Henline. 

Henline has made a name for himself at the comedy club and attracted large crowds at open mic night. Other comedians are very supportive, often giving him advice and suggesting new material he might use. 

“Sometimes after a set they’ll hand me a piece of paper with some jokes they thought of or how to add on to some of my jokes.  Like one time I said ‘a chip off the old block,’ talking about my son.  And they said well, since you’re burned you should say a chip off the old briquette,” Henline said. 

But toughest person in Henline’s audience is his wife Connie.  

“I don’t always find him humorous.  I think others love his humor so, I think that he does well. I’ve only seen him twice. I’m scared what’s he going to say about the family when he’s up there,” said Connie Henline. 

But Connie is a big fan of her husband. Sometimes Henline asks her to listen to his new material before he performs it. 

“I tell him no, don’t tell that, it’s not funny at all and then he tries it out and everyone loves it.  So, I guess that’s how he tries out his stuff on me.  If I don’t like it, it’s going to work,” Connie Henline said. 

Connie is most excited about how comedy has helped her husband heal into a happier person. She’s seen him on the brink of death and watched him overcome enormous physical and emotional challenges. 

Bobby Henline laughs at another comedian as he prepares for his open mic routine at Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club in San Antonio on December 29, 2009. (Photo Credit: Marianne Reid Gildea)

 “He enjoys getting out and interacting with the public. So I think it’s really good for him.  It’s definitely made him more relaxed and easy going.  He has something to do and something to focus on,” said Connie Henline. 

 Henline’s oldest daughter Brittney recently saw her dad perform for the first time when she came home from college on Christmas break.   

“I was really proud.  We always laugh at him on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and he’s trying to be funny for everybody, but to hear strangers laughing at him, I was really proud of him,” said Brittney Henline.

Healing is a personal process for Henline. So, when he does his routine at special military comedy shows and for wounded warriors at hospitals, his message becomes more personal. 

“You know, life goes on, and that’s the whole point I’m trying to get to those guys, especially when they’re newly injured. That, look, you’re going to get past this.  Because I remember when I was hurt, I thought there are a lot of things I couldn’t do anymore, with my kids or going to the gym.  I never thought I’d be able to do these things and I’m doing them now,” said Bobby Henline. 

Henline continues to get stronger both on stage and off. Last month he performed an open mic set at the Comedy store in Los Angeles. He’ll get a permanent prosthetic for his left arm early next year and he’s trying to organize a USO tour. In the meantime, you can find him at comedy clubs around the city, making everyone laugh. 

“Thank you, I’m Bobby.  Have a great night!”