Andy Weiss

Andrew R Weiss

LAFAYETTE, IN, USA
U.S. Army
SGT, COMPANY A, 1ST BATTALION, 5TH CAVALRY, FORT HOOD, TX
BAGHDAD, IRAQ 05/03/2007

Andrew R. Weiss liked to travel with Jack Kerouac’s popular book, On the Road. He also had a tattoo on his arm to honor Hunter S. Thompson.

Weiss, 28, of Lafayette, Ind., was killed May 3 (note: 2007) in Baghdad by a roadside bomb. He was assigned to Fort Hood.

When Kate Weiss remembers her late husband, Andy, she breaks out in a big smile. Andy was always a deep thinker, trying to figure out the meaning of life, said his wife, Kate. He was figuring himself out and growing constantly.

A 1997 high school graduate, he received his associate’s degree in construction technology from Vincennes University in 2000. He enjoyed recreational target shooting. Andy was really laid-back and funny, said his wife. He could carry the weight of the world on his shoulders as if it was a feather.

He also is survived by his children, Lillian, 4, and Jacob, 1. The couple called their son Jack in honor of Kerouac.

His wife said other soldiers respected her husband’s intelligence. They called him something like ‘The Professor.’ He carried his books and tried to get the guys to read more, she said. She said the final package she sent to him included a Gonzo T-shirt and his favorite Chicago Cubs hat.
“Lilly wrote her name, and Andy was thrilled,” she said.

Weiss’ mother, Judith Weiss of West Lafayette, said Thursday that her son was an admirable person.
“I’m exceedingly proud of the man that he turned out to be and the loving husband and father that he was,” she said. “He always brought joy to his late father and me.”

Andy and Kate had their first date in September 1996. They both graduated in 1997 from high school — she from Benton Central and he from West Lafayette. They were married in October 2000.Kate said many of Andy’s friends will come to the visitation and funeral. Some are coming from Germany, Hawaii and Florida.

“They are his battle buddies from his first deployment,” Kate said. She said she will “celebrate” Andy’s life Sunday.
“Andy gave me the best decade of my life.”

http://www.fallenheroesproject.org/united-states/andrew-robert-weiss/

Andrew R Weiss

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Name: Army Spc. Andrew R. Weiss

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Age: 28

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From: Lafayette, Ind.

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Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

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Incident: Army Spc. Andrew R. Weiss died May 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

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Died: May 03, 2007

 http://www.libertyunites.tv/tribute_v6692-us+army+andrew+r+weiss.html

 

A Reflection on Losing a Brother in Iraq

The Last Time for "Laura, Jane and Andy"

When you are siblings, and have been for over 25 years, your names sort of meld to become one, especially when you are being discussed as some sort of entity, like "The Weiss Kids."

It dawned on both Jane and me, independent of one another, that yet another thing that we have lost, another thing that we cherished but didn't realize it until we learned that Andy was dead, is being "Laura, Jane, and Andy."

After the burial, on that prairie of breezes and flowers, and close enough to Dad's grave that we feel that Bob will look out for his son yet again, Jane and I waited until the priests and the preachers and the mourners and the military and the media all left. We wanted peace and quiet, we wanted the pomp and the circumstance and the prayers to end.

 

We wanted to be with our brother, just one last time. Just one last time to be "Laura, Jane, and Andy."

So we sat on that prairie full of graves, amid the flowers both real and plastic, punctuated by mylar balloons here and there, and we spent the last time that we would ever spend with our baby brother. He was only ashes now, only ashes, but it was indeed him. And Jane and I both felt like that, wherever Andy is now, if he is anywhere, he would want his sisters by his side for just one last time.

So we sat next to other people's memorials, and we sprawled on the freshly cut springtime grass, and we looked at the flowers arranged there, and his wooden box full of his ashes, and we talked, all of us, Jane, her husband Brian, my husband Ken, and me, and Jane's daughter Josie danced and pranced around in the breezes, as eight-year-olds are known to do.

And we did what had not been done, not really, throughout the whole funeral and burial: we talked about Andy. We laughed about the stuff he used to say and do. We remembered what a terrific person he was. We cried about how our hearts literally hurt with the loving him and the missing him. We smiled about how proud we are of him, and none of the reasons military, for we spoke of the love that he had for his wife, Katie, and the two children that are living, breathing proof that our brother did, indeed, exist. A short time on this planet, perhaps, too woefully brief, but Andy Weiss was here once, and the world is such more poorer now that he isn't. The world being the world, it doesn't realize the loss, but the loss is there, and it will be felt in one way or another forever.

So that was the last time that we were "Laura, Jane, and Andy," the three Weiss kids, together.

Two crying women and a box of ashes.

http://voices.yahoo.com/a-reflection-losing-brother-iraq-389076.html

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