Andy and The Italians

 Andy did not like school much. He liked his teachers and his friends, but school was not something he got excited about, probably because he had to work hard to get decent grades. With this in mind, it came as a surprise to me that he wrote long letters home on his first deployment and that they were really humorous.

One of the funniest letters that Andy ever wrote described the time he spent at Camp White Horse, a military base occupied by Italians and Brits. Andy, during some kind of firefight, had fallen on his knee and split it open, requiring stitches. He was sent to Camp White Horse with his dog, Frank. He did have the option to return home with some mechanics, but he said the he did not "feel right about leaving all his friends".


Here is a list of what Andy said he had learned, up to that point:

1. "Sappy plates work
2. Hard back Humvees look bullet proof, but they are not, (Army has high speed Humvees that are bullet proof with A/C)
3. AK-42's and RPG's are inaccurate ( they are better off closing their eyes)
4. (The new one) Italians have no shame! i.e. going from the barracks to the shower room with nothing  but a cigar and shower shoes
5. The Italian and British female are all looking for an "American guy", so needless to say that when I go eat (by myself since there are only 9 other Americans here)  all the Italians sit next to me and the Brits fight for the closest chair, like musical chairs. So dinner conversation goes like this: After everyone sits down, I  say  "Bon Notte (that is good evening, in Italian) and then they say some thing that I DO NOT understand!!They giggle, I smile and nod my head and then slurp up another noodle.( I can barely understand the Brits as their accents are so thick you could cut it with a knife). This goes on until I am done. I then go outside and feed Frank. I placed my other animal friends with Marines and Italians. Frank and I then go home (escorted by the girls).They say "bonjorno" (good day) and leave, giggling. Then the Italian guys come over wearing Speedos (yes! Speedos!), shower shoes and cigars and feed me and Frank Heineken beer and cigars. (Frank likes Heineken beer but I cannot get him to hold a cigar in his mouth!) Frank and I go to bed about midnite and that is my evening"

There is a bit more to the letter, a paragraph about going for a check up but Frank having to wait outside....something about "cleanliness". It was a 6 page letter, unprecedented in the world of Andy!
I will have to share the story of his attempt at chicken farming in a future post.

Sheila

"There is nothing to be unhappy about" - Ace Nowacki

Ace's Mom: Andy at Camp Pendleton

Ace's Mom: Andy at Camp Pendleton: "Anyone who knew Andy will smile when they think of him, in fact, they probably laugh out loud! Along with his over- sized heart, Andy also h..."

Andy at Camp Pendleton

Anyone who knew Andy will smile when they think of him, in fact, they probably laugh out loud! Along with his over- sized heart, Andy also had an incredible sense of humor. He was known as the "morale officer" of his unit as he was the guy who took it upon himself to lift everyone's spirits. Good morale is almost as important as knowing how to shoot your weapon in the Corps and men like Andy, although they may not do things "by the book",  are the bedrock of their units.

 When Denis and I went to Chicago for the dedication of a memorial to those in the 2/24 who were killed in action in Iraq , we met more of the men who were with Andy on the last deployment. A young sergeant came up to me with a grin but also with tears in his eyes. He wanted to share a story with us, his experience with Andy. This sergeant was in charge of making sure that all the rooms were ready for inspection. He knocked on Andy's door. Andy told him to "come on in" and what greeted him made him stop dead in his tracks: Andy was sitting in a beach chair in his swim trunks with, of course, his shades on. The chair was on a beige shag rug, simulating sand, with a beach umbrella shading his Irish skin from the room's light fixture. Andy had a "drink" in a special cup in his hand and next to him on the wall was a poster of a "babe" in a bikini, completing his beach scene. He handed a "tiki" cup to the Sergeant and told him that he would need to have that designated cup in hand whenever he entered the room. The Sergeant, after taking it all in, accepted that "tiki" cup. He took one last, horrified gaze at what  Andy  had created, and said, "Dude, you are in so much trouble!" and then backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. The Sergeant, expected Andy to get reprimanded for what he had created, but he told us that Andy never got in trouble for his beach room.

I am sorry that I do not remember that Sergeant's name as this is one of the stories that I will never forget. It exemplifies Andy's spirit in the best possible way; uplifting others at his own expense although I know that Andy fed the joy in his soul by doing the little things, like sitting on a pretend beach with his friends.

I guess the moral to the story for me is that I need to do more for my friends and not self indulge.

Sheila

___________

"There is nothing to be unhappy about" ;-) Ace Nowacki