Andrew K. Stern

Click to Download Portrait

GERMANTOWN, TN, U.S.A.

U.S. MARINE CORPS

1LT, 3RD PLT, B CO, 1ST TANK BN, 1ST MARDIV, 1ST MAR EF, MCAGCC,TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA

09/24/2004, FALLUJAH, IRAQ

1LT Andrew Karl Stern was born March 28, 1980 to Eileen and Richard Stern. Andrew was raised in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb. Andrew attended Wheeling Township Elementary District 21’s Longfellow and Cooper schools in Buffalo Grove.

He graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1998. He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BS degree in business. After attending officer candidate school, 1LT Stern was commissioned a 2LT in the U.S. Marine Corps on December 15, 2001. He deployed in support of the second phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 in February 2004.

“He was smart, funny and handsome,” Rich Stern said of his son.

When his mother talked about prayers and thoughts from back home, Andrew always thought of others – a sign of his character. “If you’re going to pray for me, Mom,” Eileen Stern remembered her son saying, “make sure you pray for my whole platoon because it’s my job to bring them back safe.”

“Every time someone sent him a letter or a package, he wrote them a thank you note,” Justin Stern, Andrews brother said. “Every single person.”

“He was very driven,” Justin added. “He was a great leader. This was what he wanted to do and we respected him for that.”

Andrew Stern’s spirit and drive made his family proud, and he had a lot of support behind him.

“Hopefully through all the letters and everything he knew that,” Justin Stern said.

Andrew’s portrait is also located on Poster 2