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December 29,
2006:
 I
started my
military career
by enlisting in
the United
States Marine
Corps in 1989.
I decided to
join the
infantry because
I wanted a tough
and demanding
challenge that
civilian life
did not offer.
My first duty
station was
Kaneohe Bay,
Hawaii. Living
in Hawaii was
truly living in
paradise. I
became active in
running and
triathlon racing
during my
four-year tour
in Hawaii. I
was deployed to
Saudi Arabia and
eventually
Kuwait in
support of
Operation Desert
Shield and
Desert Storm.
My Infantry
Battalion was
responsible for
fighting and
seizing control
of the Kuwait
International
Airport from
Iraqi forces.
When I returned to Hawaii, I was looking for the
next challenge and heard about a group of elite
Marines that belonged to a unit called Force
Recon. Force Recon Marines are a small group of
highly trained professional warriors who are
responsible for conducting clandestine missions
deep into enemy territory. They are expert
divers, parachutists, and are trained to conduct
various types of missions in small teams. I
decided that I would undertake the grueling
selection and training process that led to
earning the title Force Recon Marine in 1993. I
relocated to Jacksonville, North Carolina and
deployed several more times in support of
operations in Kosovo, Albania, and Congo,
Africa.
I decided I wanted to lead Marines on a higher
level and was meritoriously commissioned from a
Sergeant to a 2nd Lieutenant after
graduating as the honor graduate from the
Officer’s Candidate School. I commanded an
Infantry Platoon for another tour in Africa
before heading back to Force Recon as a platoon
Commander. My Force Recon Platoon deployed in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was
responsible for conducting several direct action
raids targeting insurgents in Fallujah and
Mosul, Iraq. The tours to Iraq continued with
a third deployment to Iraq as an advisor leading
an eleven-man team responsible for training
Iraqi soldiers. On February 20th,
2006 my advisor team was hit by an IED ambush
that killed my teammate SSgt Jay Collado and
severely wounded SSgt Chris Claude, and
1stLieutenant Justin Waldeck.
Staff Sergeant Jay Collado was survived by his
wife Judy and their six-year-old daughter Kaiya.
Jay was actually scheduled to leave Iraq the
next day to attend her sixth birthday party as
part of his two week leave break. It was at
that point that I decided that I would do
whatever I could to raise money to ensure that
his daughter Kaiya was well taken care of. The
team has since raised over $35,000 for her
educational expenses. The attack also took
Staff Sergeant Chris Claude’s right leg. I
started raising money for a wonderful
organization called the Injured Marine Semper FI
Fund (www.semperfifund.org)
The IMSFF is helping Marines like Chris who are
suffering from catastrophic injuries. The IMSFF
is providing financial assistance to these
injured Marines so they can run, bike, and swim
like us one day. We are making great progress
towards our goals for these wounded warriors.
In August of 2006 I wrote a letter to
Specialized Bicycles asking them if they would
sponsor me as I compete in endurance races to
raise money for these two exceptionally worthy
causes. The great people at Specialized
Bicycles agreed to help me and contacted
three-time Ironman World Champion Peter Reid and
asked him if he would coach and mentor me for my
Ironman Arizona race. I have been blessed in so
many ways! I am glad to be an American, I am
thankful to be alive, and I am driven to help my
friends and comrades. If you see me at Ironman
Arizona, I will be easy to spot. Look for the
Marine carrying a full-sized American flag
during the marathon portion of the race. That
flag has special meaning for me and the rest of
my team, as it was in the back of the vehicle on
the day that Staff Sergeant Jay Collado was
killed. My teammates said I should carry the
flag during every race so people will remember
the sacrifices that are taking place in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Sometimes I wake up early in the morning and
think about the hard 4:00 a.m. workout that
Peter has on my schedule. I think about my
teammates who have been killed, I think about
Chris missing his right leg and his long
rehabilitation process, I think about how
fortunate I am to be training for an Ironman
race. Ironman Arizona will be tough, but having
teammates and new friends supporting me will
make the journey rewarding on so many levels.
SEMPER FIDELIS
ANDY CHRISTIAN |
