Andrew was an amazing person. Though I am completely devastated by his passing so suddenly, and way to soon, I have many wonderful memories of my little brother.

I remember when we were young, how he followed in my footsteps. I played lacrosse, Andrew played lacrosse. I tried out for the school plays, Andrew tried out for the school plays. He pushed me to be a good role model when we were younger, because I knew that if I did something, he would want to do it too. The roles quickly reversed when he and I were sitting in the car together one day and he told me that he wanted to join the Marines. I asked him why, and he said, " Sis, joining the Marines is the hardest thing I can think of doing, and I want to prove to myself that I can do it." A few weeks later he left for bootcamp and that began our time apart.

For 15 years he and I would connect a few times, but no matter how long we would be apart, everytime we would talk or meet, it was like we had never missed a day together. Over the years, I watched my little brother turn into an amazing young man who was dedicated to service and led a life of honor and integrity.

Instead of him looking up to me I now looked up to him. In my toughest times, I would think, " Well... Andrew is in Afghanistan, is what I'm going through any tougher than that? The answer was always no. Now, I was the one who never wanted to let him down.

I am so proud of him, and all that he has accomplished in life. I am grateful that I got to have a brother like him. He was a good soul with a heart of gold. Andrew always put others before himself. I will always love him, and I know when we meet again, it will feel like we never were apart.

One of the best gifts I and my family could receive, would be to hear your memories of Andrew and to share any photos or videos you have of him. Thank you for sharing and for being a part of his life.