When I returned to Hawaii, I was looking for the next challenge and heard about a group of elite Marines that belonged to a unit called Force Recon.  Force Recon Marines are a small group of highly trained professional warriors who are responsible for conducting clandestine missions deep into enemy territory.  They are expert divers, parachutists, and are trained to conduct various types of missions in small teams.  I decided that I would undertake the grueling selection and training process that led to earning the title Force Recon Marine in 1993.  I relocated to Jacksonville, North Carolina and deployed several more times in support of operations in Kosovo, Albania, and Congo, Africa.

I decided I wanted to lead Marines on a higher level and was meritoriously commissioned from a Sergeant to a 2^nd Lieutenant after graduating as the honor graduate from the Officer’s Candidate School.  I commanded an Infantry Platoon for another tour in Africa before heading back to Force Recon as a platoon Commander.  My Force Recon Platoon deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was responsible for conducting several direct action raids targeting insurgents in Fallujah and Mosul, Iraq.   The tours to Iraq continued with a third deployment to Iraq as an advisor leading an eleven-man team responsible for training Iraqi soldiers.  On February 20^th, 2006 my advisor team was hit by an IED ambush that killed my teammate SSgt Jay Collado and severely wounded SSgt Chris Claude, and 1stLieutenant Justin Waldeck.

Staff Sergeant Jay Collado was survived by his wife Judy and their six-year-old daughter Kaiya.  Jay was actually scheduled to leave Iraq the next day to attend her sixth birthday party as part of his two week leave break.  It was at that point that I decided that I would do whatever I could to raise money to ensure that his daughter Kaiya was well taken care of.  The team has since raised over $35,000 for her educational expenses.  The attack also took Staff Sergeant Chris Claude’s right leg.  I started raising money for a wonderful organization called the Injured Marine Semper FI Fund (www.semperfifund.org)  The IMSFF is helping Marines like Chris who are suffering from catastrophic injuries.  The IMSFF is providing financial assistance to these injured Marines so they can run, bike, and swim like us one day.  We are making great progress towards our goals for these wounded warriors.

In August of 2006 I wrote a letter to Specialized Bicycles asking them if they would sponsor me as I compete in endurance races to raise money for these two exceptionally worthy causes.  The great people at Specialized Bicycles agreed to help me and contacted three-time Ironman World Champion Peter Reid and asked him if he would coach and mentor me for my Ironman Arizona race.  I have been blessed in so many ways! I am glad to be an American, I am thankful to be alive, and I am driven to help my friends and comrades.  If you see me at Ironman Arizona, I will be easy to spot.  Look for the Marine carrying a full-sized American flag during the marathon portion of the race. That flag has special meaning for me and the rest of my team, as it was in the back of the vehicle on the day that Staff Sergeant Jay Collado was killed.  My teammates said I should carry the flag during every race so people will remember the sacrifices that are taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sometimes I wake up early in the morning and think about the hard 4:00 a.m. workout that Peter has on my schedule.  I think about my teammates who have been killed, I think about Chris missing his right leg and his long rehabilitation process, I think about how fortunate I am to be training for an Ironman race. Ironman Arizona will be tough, but having teammates and new friends supporting me will make the journey rewarding on so many levels.

SEMPER FIDELIS

ANDY CHRISTIAN