Thursday, January 4, 2024
I met Andy for the first time at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson Arizona in the winter of 1990. We attended the 9 week Ground Launched Cruise Missile School. The friendship was founded over beer and bad decisions culminating in both of us almost being late for the GLCM graduation ceremony due to our miss adventures the night before. The friendship continued at our next duty station, Comiso AS, Sicily Italy. I was on the dispersal teams and Andy went to the weapons storage area before the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein's Iraqi military changed everything.
When the call for volunteers went out to form two flights (platoon size elements) of Security Police, Andy was among the first of many who stepped up and answered the call. We were deployed to Doha Qatar a place we had never heard of prior to the invasion of Kuwait. We spent seven months in theatre through a bare base set up leading into Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Andy had a quick wit and a gift for sarcasm that really shined in the face of adversity. Andy was gifted with a minor personality flaw in that when we went out drinking he would fall asleep afterwards in really odd places. It was not unusual to fined him snoring fast asleep sitting on a toilet after we had gone out. This culminated in Andy achieving legendary status when we stopped over night in the U.A.E. trying to return to Sicily at the end of the war. Andy had met Air National Guard members from New York State that knew him and his family who were based there. We were loaded up on the C130 the next morning and our Captain noticed that Andy was missing. A brief panicked search of the immediate area and no Andy. Shawn Abatessa had a moment of brilliance and ran over to a line of porta potties near the tent city and found Andy fast asleep inside one. Andy and Shawn made running dives onto the still open rear ramp of the C130 as it was starting to taxi into position for take off. Our captain attempted to be stern with Andy after almost missing the flight but could not keep a straight face after he found out where he had been located.
After the war Andy and I stayed in touch through marriage, kids, divorces and all of the things. My best post war memory was Andy coming to visit and we attended the Metallica Concert in Omaha Ne, for the Death Magnetic Tour. He got to meet my family and now deceased son Joshua during that visit. I had planned to visit New York State this year and reconnect with Andy and finally meet his kids and family. Andy was my brother and one of my best friends and I will miss him terribly. I am thankful for Marcie calling me the Saturday after he passed. I will cheer the Buffalo Bills on louder then before in the games and seasons to come. Andy and I also shared a love of music and I will forever be thankful for introducing me to Queensrÿche and the epic album Operation Mind Crime.
Senior Airman Richard D. Barton (formerly)
487th Missile Defense Squadron
Andy my brother I will see you in Valhalla!
