thedrifter
11-14-07, 11:23 AM
Fallen, But Not Forgotten-Part II
Posted: Nov 13, 2007 10:17 PM
WKBT, WI
2007 has become the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq. At least 852 service members have died bringing the total number of troops killed since the war began to nearly 3,900. But these men and women are more than just statistics. They're the people who've paid the ultimate sacrifice so the rest of us can enjoy the freedoms we have today. And one mother wants to make sure her son isn't lost in the numbers no matter how much time has gone by.
From the time he was just a kid, it seemed as if Andy Stevens was destined to be a soldier. His mom, Kaye Olson says, "he always marched the neighbor kids around the yard, they were always playing, whether it was in our yard or the yard next to us, they were always doing soldier things." The military might've just been in Andy's blood too. His mom retired from the Army this year after 26 years. So after graduating from Tomah High School in 1995 and talking with some military recruiters, Andy joined the Marines. Kaye says, "Andy was a happy, go-lucky kid, everybody liked him in school. He did cross country, he did pole vaulting, he did a lot with computers, he was always playing computer games." Andy completed his first tour of duty in iraq in 2003 and he would choose to go back a second time in 2005. "He just said to me, mom, I'll see you when I get back. I worried more about him the first time than I did the second time. I guess it never dawned on me that anything would ever happen to him." But on December 1st, 2005, just a few weeks shy of Christmas, 29-year-old Sergeant Andy Stevens was killed in a roadside bombing. He was one of 10 Marines who died and 11 who were injured that day. "I can shut my eyes and describe exactly when that Lt. Col. come in and told me. I knew right away and I told him don't tell me cause I didn't want to know, cause I knew what he was there for and he just grabbed me and started telling me." The Army had taught Kaye to be tough, but there's nothing that could've prepared her for the devastating news. "I can describe their face. I'll never forget that day and I don't think any mom ever will," says Kaye. And this wasn't the first time Kaye had dealt with family tragedy. She lost her first son to a birth defect. "When I lost my first son, it was nothing compared to this time, absolutely nothing compared to this time." But in the midst of greiving the loss of Andy, just a few months after his death, Kaye was dealt yet another blow. Doctors found a cancerous tumor in her breast. "They figured because of the stress of Andy's death, probably's what started all of it. You get up, put one foot in front of the other, take a breath and you try and deal with what God gave you." The good news is Kaye is now one year cancer free and although she's retired, she's still working hard to keep the memory of her fallen hero alive. "I hope it's never forgotten. I know it won't be in my heart and Ii know it won't be in my daughter and family." If you drive by Kaye's home, you can see just a few of the ways she reminds others of the sacrifice her son made for our country. The Marine flag and the stars and stripes proudly fly in Andy's memory. Below, a silhouette of a soldier praying and in the front window hangs a gold star, a symbol of someone who has lost a loved one in combat. "I don't want my son's death to go for nothing. I don't want to think Andy was over there and died for no reason." Andy is buried in a cemetary North of Menomonie. There's also an American flag that flies there. "Everybody that goes by, the cemetary is on a high hill, it sits on top of the hill, so when you drive up the first thing you see going into the cemetary is this flag." Kaye also wears her pride for Andy on her sleeve almost quite literally. "Of course I wear the t-shirts, the sweatshirts, I wear my pin. We belong to a group called being there, reaching out. It's for families who have lost their hero here in Wisconsin. I haven't taken this off. I wore this under my uniform everyday after his death." But no matter how big or how little the gesture of rememberance, Kaye just wants others to know, her son died a hero and he should never be forgotten. Andy was my hero and will always be my hero. That will never change."
A high school student in Tomah and a family friend is also remembering Andy. He's created this bookmark in Andy's memory using his own money. The proceeds going to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. He raised almost 1100 dollars which was donated in Sgt. Andy Steven's name. If you would like to buy a book mark and help out the cause, just call this number 608-343-7232
Ellie
Posted: Nov 13, 2007 10:17 PM
WKBT, WI
2007 has become the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq. At least 852 service members have died bringing the total number of troops killed since the war began to nearly 3,900. But these men and women are more than just statistics. They're the people who've paid the ultimate sacrifice so the rest of us can enjoy the freedoms we have today. And one mother wants to make sure her son isn't lost in the numbers no matter how much time has gone by.
From the time he was just a kid, it seemed as if Andy Stevens was destined to be a soldier. His mom, Kaye Olson says, "he always marched the neighbor kids around the yard, they were always playing, whether it was in our yard or the yard next to us, they were always doing soldier things." The military might've just been in Andy's blood too. His mom retired from the Army this year after 26 years. So after graduating from Tomah High School in 1995 and talking with some military recruiters, Andy joined the Marines. Kaye says, "Andy was a happy, go-lucky kid, everybody liked him in school. He did cross country, he did pole vaulting, he did a lot with computers, he was always playing computer games." Andy completed his first tour of duty in iraq in 2003 and he would choose to go back a second time in 2005. "He just said to me, mom, I'll see you when I get back. I worried more about him the first time than I did the second time. I guess it never dawned on me that anything would ever happen to him." But on December 1st, 2005, just a few weeks shy of Christmas, 29-year-old Sergeant Andy Stevens was killed in a roadside bombing. He was one of 10 Marines who died and 11 who were injured that day. "I can shut my eyes and describe exactly when that Lt. Col. come in and told me. I knew right away and I told him don't tell me cause I didn't want to know, cause I knew what he was there for and he just grabbed me and started telling me." The Army had taught Kaye to be tough, but there's nothing that could've prepared her for the devastating news. "I can describe their face. I'll never forget that day and I don't think any mom ever will," says Kaye. And this wasn't the first time Kaye had dealt with family tragedy. She lost her first son to a birth defect. "When I lost my first son, it was nothing compared to this time, absolutely nothing compared to this time." But in the midst of greiving the loss of Andy, just a few months after his death, Kaye was dealt yet another blow. Doctors found a cancerous tumor in her breast. "They figured because of the stress of Andy's death, probably's what started all of it. You get up, put one foot in front of the other, take a breath and you try and deal with what God gave you." The good news is Kaye is now one year cancer free and although she's retired, she's still working hard to keep the memory of her fallen hero alive. "I hope it's never forgotten. I know it won't be in my heart and Ii know it won't be in my daughter and family." If you drive by Kaye's home, you can see just a few of the ways she reminds others of the sacrifice her son made for our country. The Marine flag and the stars and stripes proudly fly in Andy's memory. Below, a silhouette of a soldier praying and in the front window hangs a gold star, a symbol of someone who has lost a loved one in combat. "I don't want my son's death to go for nothing. I don't want to think Andy was over there and died for no reason." Andy is buried in a cemetary North of Menomonie. There's also an American flag that flies there. "Everybody that goes by, the cemetary is on a high hill, it sits on top of the hill, so when you drive up the first thing you see going into the cemetary is this flag." Kaye also wears her pride for Andy on her sleeve almost quite literally. "Of course I wear the t-shirts, the sweatshirts, I wear my pin. We belong to a group called being there, reaching out. It's for families who have lost their hero here in Wisconsin. I haven't taken this off. I wore this under my uniform everyday after his death." But no matter how big or how little the gesture of rememberance, Kaye just wants others to know, her son died a hero and he should never be forgotten. Andy was my hero and will always be my hero. That will never change."
A high school student in Tomah and a family friend is also remembering Andy. He's created this bookmark in Andy's memory using his own money. The proceeds going to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. He raised almost 1100 dollars which was donated in Sgt. Andy Steven's name. If you would like to buy a book mark and help out the cause, just call this number 608-343-7232
Ellie