Andrew was born on June 14, 1983 in Honolulu, Hawaii to parents Morris and Jill Carpenter. The family moved to Maryland in 1983 when Andrew was 3 months old and settled in Silver Spring. Andrew was a very precocious baby learning to walk at 9 months and riding his first two-wheel bike at two. Andrew welcomed his little sister to the family on December 23, 1986. He loved his sister and his first words upon seeing her were, “Oh look at her little fingers and toes!” In 1989, the family moved to Westminster and lived there until 1996. In his younger years, he played football, did Tae Kwon Do and participated in Boy Scouts.
Andrew graduated high school in 2001 and promptly joined the Marines. He was sent to boot camp at Parris Island and assigned to the 1/5 Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in California. Because of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the war in Iraq began and Andrew was sent to Iraq. The 1/5 was the first in to the war and Andrew saw his first combat.
In the years following the war, Andrew dealt with many demons due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, for which he was finally given full Veteran Disability. In 2010, Andrew discovered he had a little girl named Nadia who was three years old. He was enthralled with this little beauty and very proud. In spite of all his many injuries, illnesses and hospital stays, he met Kaitlyn Emblidge in 2010, and married her that October. They resided in Ashburn, Virginia. In November 2010, they found out they were expecting a baby and together they had a beautiful baby girl named Zoe in July 2011. Andrew loved his daughters very much. He loved this new found role of being a father, and despite his injuries he worked hard at being there for his little family.
Andrew loved working on cars, doing outdoor activities with Zoe and all types of music. He loved to dance and clown around and loved to embarrass Kate because Andrew never really cared what people thought about him. He was a very loved husband, son, father and Marine.
Final rest: Arlington National Cemetery
Andrew served with SGT Chip Wicks USMC (22 Too Many USMC Hero)
#22toomany#OurHeroes are #NeverForgotten
