Freedom Remembered

Sgt. 1st Class Andrew T. Weathers, 30, of DeRidder, Louisiana, died Sept. 30, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, from wounds sustained when the enemy attacked his unit with small arms fire Sept. 28, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Weathers, a native of Crestview, Fla., joined the Army in January 2003 and attended basic training at Fort Knox, Ky.  He then attended advanced individual training at Fort Eustis, Va., and graduated as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter repairer.  He was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., and assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.  Weathers deployed twice with the 101st CAB, first to Iraq in 2005 as a crew chief and to Afghanistan in 2008 as a Flight Engineer. Weathers volunteered for Special Forces in 2010, graduating as a Special Forces medical sergeant and earning his Green Beret.  He was assigned to the 4th Battalion of the 7th SFG (A) in 2012 and then to the group’s 2nd Battalion in 2014. His awards and decorations include the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the NATO Medal. Weathers was also the recipient of the Special Forces Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Aviator Badge and the Parachutist Badge. Arlington National Cemetery - Sec 60 Site 10740