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Andrew's chapter, 'Faces of Freedom' includes story of Missoula Marine killed in Iraq

Missoulian.com
By JAMIE KELLY of the Missoulian
01.11.08

More than two years have passed since Denny Bedard and Michelle Bedard-Smith lost their son, Andrew, a Marine who is one of the nearly 4,000 American casualties of the war in Iraq.

The pain they feel is still in their faces and their voices, and it's likely a chapter in their lives that will never close.

And it's a chapter they have now shared with all of America, as Andrew's story is told in "Faces of Freedom," a hardback coffee-table book that honors the memory of an American soldier from each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Fifty-two authors, 52 stories, a human snapshot of the Iraq war - and its toll - that is both hurtful and healing for the Bedards.

"For me, I'm kind of able to distance myself from Andrew's story," said Denny Bedard. "I try to look at the other stories. But they're every bit as powerful and heartbreaking and emotional as his. I don't know too many folks who could sit and read more than a few pages of the book and not have to take a break."

This we learn about Andrew from his story, told through the pen of KECI journalist Monte Turner, who wrote it:

- Andrew brought a copy of "A River Runs Through It" to Iraq, to remind him of his hometown;

- In his last day in Missoula, Andrew bought sunflowers for his mother at the Farmers Market;

- Andrew was only in Iraq for 30 days when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device; he steered the vehicle in such a way that it saved the lives of two fellow Marines and a Navy corpsman;

- Andrew wrote in a senior paper at Hellgate High School: "Never have doubt about anything."

It was only three months after Andrew was killed in October 2005 that Turner got an e-mail from Rebecca Pepin, a Bristol, Va., journalist who was putting together and editing "Faces of Freedom."

Turner, himself a 1970s Air Force veteran and a former high school classmate of Denny Bedard, immediately thought of his friend and the recent loss he had suffered.

"Before anything jelled, Andrew was in my head," said Turner.

And yet Turner knew that approaching the Bedards would be painful for them, and painful for himself as well.

"With Andrew Bedard's death, I ended up going through survivor's guilt with my turn in the service," he said. "Why the heck did I live when everyone else died? This just brought it all back. Andrew's death hurt me for both Denny and Michelle, and selfishly it hurt me, too."

Still, Turner considered it "a God thing" that he got the e-mail, a chance to honor a young man he barely knew, and a way to help the Bedards in their healing.

"I felt very honored when Monte called and wanted to do the story on Andrew," said Michelle Bedard-Smith. "And yes, it was hard. It was hard to go back and look at his life at that point. I was still numb. I tried to prepare for the interview, but it was very difficult to go through the details of his life."

Over a series of meetings, Turner interviewed the Bedards, turning this data blip on the casualty sheet into the flesh and blood of a man named Andrew who died for his country. And Turner was amazed at the strength of the couple.

"Holy criminy, did they hold together well," he said. "To see the strength that these two had helped heal me, too, if that makes sense. I could see their firsthand loss and how they were dealing with it, and how far they'd come in a short period of time. I was so proud of them, and I wondered if I could have handled it as well."

Michelle provided Turner with photos of her son, one of the Marine on a mission less than two weeks before his death, another of him and his father standing together arm-in-arm.

Going through her photos, Michelle also discovered something amazing: a photo of Turner's son and Andrew standing together in front of a plane at Missoula International Airport, when the two were members of the Civil Air Patrol.

That photo only reinforced in Turner that his involvement in "Faces of Freedom" was indeed "a God thing."

Proceeds from the book, which has been in circulation since May 2007 but only recently available in Missoula, go to the Fisher House Program and the Wounded Warrior Project, both charitable organizations to help military families.

For Denny Bedard, the book is a way, however bittersweet, to honor the sacrifices of America's military men and women.

"I'm proud of them and proud of my son," he said. "I think all of them have helped to create a more peaceful Iraq, Afghanistan and United States."

Reporter Jamie Kelly can be reached at 523-5254 or at jkelly@missoulian.com

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