Sergeant Andrew Harron McConnell
September 16th, 2009
Born Jan. 1, 1985
Died Sep. 14, 2009 in Afghanistan
Sgt. Andrew H. McConnell grew up all over the world; his father is a career military officer. From Germany, to Italy to America, his family lived and loved and Andrew grew into a man who became a born leader, an inspiration to all who met him and someone who touched the hearts and souls of those around him. Andrew was attending North Georgia College on a ROTC scholarship when in October of 2005 he decided to leave and enlist in the Army. He was stationed first at Fort Bragg then reported to Fort Lewis, Washington in January 2007. Although he lived all over the world, Andrew considered Tahoma Washington his home. It was here that he met and married his wife Sarah in December of 2008, and they made their home. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, he deployed to Afghanistan in July 2009. He and another soldier died of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device Sept. 14 in southern Afghanistan. Andrew’s awards and commendations include the Army Achievement Medal (four awards), Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Expert Infantryman Badge and Air Assault Badge. Andrew is survived by his wife Sarah; their unborn child; his father Col. Gregory “Scott” McConnell; his mother Kathy; and sisters Ashlee, Amanda, Alecia, Abbey and Amelia. Andrew lived his life for God, country and family never taking the easy route, he kept his fire burning. He had a beautiful soul. He was buried in Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington.
The Sergeant Andrew Harron McConnell by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
I didn’t know Andrew in life, but it was my privilege and my 6 year old daughters, to honor him by laying a wreath at his headstone today during the wreath laying ceremony. We went home and did a search for his name and found this site. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to learn more about him. Please accept our sincere condolence for your loss.