TOMAH, WI, USA
U.S. Marines
SGT, F CO, 2D BN, 7TH MAR, (RCT-8, 2D MAR DIV), 1ST MAR DIV, TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA
FALLUJAH, IRAQ 12/01/2005
Sergeant Andy A. Stevens was known as a headstrong but hardworking, earnest student. Growing up, he was a normal all-American kid: polite, athletic, fun to be around, and at times liked to be just a little different. Jeff McGinnis, one of Stevens’ track coaches, remembered he once shaved a bald strip on his head; he called it a “reverse Mohawk.” He had his own way of doing things.
Another example was the teen night at the Evangelical Free Church when asked if he had anything to share with the group. Andy did. He got up and sang the entire song “Gethsemane” from the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” with much emotion and no embarrassment.
He was a pole-vaulter on his high school track team, a choice likely driven by his desire for excitement, said McGinnis. Andy was kind of his own person, he said.
Stevens also participated in football, basketball and concert choir. His other passion was snowboarding and he posed with a snowboard for his senior class photo.
Andy knew one thing in life he wanted more than anything, and that was to be in the military. His future plans set early, he did whatever was asked of him and upon graduation from high school in 1995, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
Sergeant Stevens, 29, was born in Tomah, Wisconsin on August 18, 1976. He died on December 1, 2005 by an explosive in Fallujah, Iraq that killed nine other Marines. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at to Twentynine Palms, California.
Over his ten years of military service, Andy received numerous awards and medals, including two Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Navy Unit Commendation, the Korean Defense Service Medal, two National Defense Service Medals, five Sea Service Deployment Medals, and the Purple Heart.
Mary Justinger, one of his middle school teachers, said Stevens was the kind of kid who always gave you 100 percent, no matter what he did. He was a character, and he liked to laugh, said Chris Pokela, a longtime friend.
Andy’s friends remember his will, laughter, determination, and his sparkling blue eyes.
Andy Stevens is survived by his father, Allen Stevens, and mother, Kaye Olson. He is buried in Highland Cemetery in Menomonie, Wisconsin.