Wednesday, December 27, 2006

In Memoriam

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Army Pfc. Andrew H. Nelson, 19, of St. Johns who died on Christmas Day while serving in Iraq.

Pfc. Andrew H. Nelson, 19, and the others died of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations Dec. 25 in Baghdad, Iraq. They were assigned to the 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

But locally he was known as a four-year letter winner on the swimming and diving team. He graduated from St. Johns High School in 2005.

Nelson made the State Journal all-area team as a senior in 2004-05, when he qualified individually for the Division 2 state meet in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly.

“He was very competitive, very driven,” said swim coach Kim Brewbaker. “The kind of kid that wouldn’t back down from anything..."

Nelson’s family could not immediately be reached for comment. Information on funeral arrangements was not yet available.
-- From the Lansing State Journal

RIP Pfc. Nelson

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