Army Pfc. Andrew N. Meari

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pfc. Andrew N. Meari, 21, of Plainfield, Ill.

Pfc Meari was assigned to 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 1, 2010 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Spc. Jonathan M. Curtis.

Serving in Afghanistan, Army Pfc. Andrew N. Meari kept a photograph of his grandfather, who was in the Korean War. "That was something he was proud to carry," Meari's uncle said Wednesday. He looked liked his grandfather.

Now, the 21-year-old soldier's family is remembering him.

Meari, of Plainfield, was killed Monday in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device, the military announced.

Meari is being remembered as an outgoing young man, a bright student, and a hero. "He was outgoing, friendly, a big jokester," said his uncle Todd Williams, a family spokesman. "He loved to joke around, loved to tease. That's big in our family. He was very protective of his cousins and his family."

Meari was born Sept. 14, 1989, in Chicago. His mother moved to Plainfield when she remarried, Williams said.

Meari was a bright student who often was ahead of the challenges that his school could provide for him, Williams said. He attended Plainfield South High School and Drauden Point Middle School, Williams said.

He joined the Army in October 2008 and arrived at Fort Campbell, Ky., in February 2009, according to the fort's website.

According to Meari's MySpace page, he was an infantryman who wanted to eventually go into international law.

On the main page, he posted: "the point is dont settle for nething. be who u r. tell the truth even if it leads 2 ur death (in 1 form or another)."
On Monday, Meari's unit was attacked with a vehicle-borne explosive device. "He died a hero," Williams said. "He is going to be missed. ..."

Army Pfc. Andrew N. Meari was killed in action on 11/01/10.