Andrew Riedel.........
A son, a brother, a friend, and a protector of freedom
How do you describe a man with so many titles?
First and foremost he was my son. From a cuddly baby to a 6'6" tall young man he was and will always be first.....my
son.
Andrew was a protector: a protector of me, his sisters and the underdogs of this world.
When Columbine happened he was sad and hurt that someone could be so cruel. When 9-11 happened he was furious
and disbelief raged inside of him. "How can people be so heartless," he would say. That was the turning point for Andrew.
He new he would get involved in the protection of our country. He was going to be a Marine.
Andrew couldn’t wait to be a part of the solution over in Iraq; was he scared? Yes. Did he wish he had
made a different decision? No.
He said to me in June of 2004 right before he left to be deployed...
"Mom, joining the Marines was the best and worst decision I have ever made. I looked at him and said, "Don’t
you want to do this now?" He said, "No what I mean is the worst decision because I hate being away from you and my family
and friends(Andrew never liked being away from home), the best decision because I can make a difference, people need to be
free, not be afraid.
At that very moment I knew my son had grown into a fine young man, one I will be proud of for the rest of
my life. They (the military) have all made a difference, and I salute them all.
By Sherri Busch