My Friend, Wes Henson

aka, Captain Dee-Fense

Captain Dee-Fense and I met at the last Ravens training camp at McDaniel College. He had sat down beside my 6-year old great niece on the bleachers. She was taken by his uniform, and as kids will do, she touched the leg of it. While I told her she shouldn’t do that, Wes took it in stride. He loved kids.

He shared his story of how he got his Super Fan name when a young fan asked him if he was the captain of the defense. Captain Dee-Fense was born from that. But he was more than a Super Fan, so much more than that. We talked about his military experience (he was a Navy veteran and my husband, Army) and of him surviving cancer. I told him of my father passing young from cancer. We shared a lot of life stories. I felt like I’d know him forever. He was so easy to talk to and he truly cared.

We kept in touch after that day through phone calls, texts, and of course social media, Ravens events, and Ravens games. We had a shared love of the Ravens, but more importantly, a shared love of family. He loved and was so proud of his two daughters, granddaughter, and grandson and spoke of them often. He also knew of my love for my nieces and great nieces. I don’t know enough nor can I say enough about his work in the community, but I know it was plenty and it gave him great joy helping others.

Wes once told me he thought I was one, if not the biggest Ravens fan he knew. When invited to assist with a paint ball event at Ray Lewis’s house, he called me and asked if I’d like to help protect Ray’s house when signing in guests. He said he needed someone he trusted and that wouldn’t be star struck by the attendees, many of them professional athletes. I was both honored and excited. It was a fun day and when our work was done, we enjoyed a little time at the festivities.

He also valued my opinion and editorial skills. He would often send me some of his writings and speeches and ask for my input. I was honored and happy to do it for my friend.

I actually entered the Hall of Fans Contest before I knew that Captain Dee-Fense had entered. I should have known, right. Lol. Once I found out that he had entered, I knew I was out of my league. He was so much more qualified and deserving than me with his Super Fandom and community service. I didn’t hold a candle to that and was so excited that he won. He rightfully deserved it.

On another occasion, Wes invited me to the Draft the year it was held at the Under Armour Performance Center. I believe that was when the stadium was undergoing renovations and natural grass was going in. Again, I was honored and so happy that he invited me. I had so many opportunities I wouldn’t have had without him, to participate in Ravens events. I will cherish those memories together forever.

When the Ravens were in Super Bowl XLVII, I traveled to the game with a group, but alone. Wes kept in touch during the trip to make sure I was okay. I appreciated that so much. He was such a nice, caring person. We even met up at one of the evening events the group had planned, still checking in on me. Some other events we met up at included the HoF inductions for Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

When I learned last year that Wes was having health issues, it worried me. I tried to reach out to him by text on his personal cell to let him know I was thinking of him and praying for him, but we didn’t connect. I left messages on his Facebook page. When I didn’t see him at games, I was even more worried because I knew it would take something serious to keep him away. I prayed for Wes daily and hoped we’d see each other again soon. I was devastated to hear of Wes’s passing on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

I will miss him and so will everyone whose life he touched, and there were many. The world was a better place with Wes in it.

I love you, my friend.

Until we meet again, Godspeed.

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Guest post submitted by Pat Hurst

[Related Article: RavensFlock Suffers a Big Loss]

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