Camp Andy named for fallen Airman

(Above) Master Sgt. Evander E. “Andy” Andrews, a civil engineer stationed here, was the first American to give his life in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Oct. 10, 2001. Sergeant Andrews died during a forklift accident while helping build what would later be called Camp Andy, in his honor. Camp Andy was a more permanent settlement than its predecessor, a sign of the base’s enduring presence. (Courtesy photo)

Camp Andy named for fallen Airman

Published July 29, 2007
By Senior Airman Clark Staehle
379th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Many people have deployed here more than once and may remember the facilities here before there was a Coalition Compound - a tent city named Camp Andy.

The original tent city was comprised of temporary structures to house and support servicemembers stationed here, which eventually gave way to larger Alaskan shelters and a more permanent set up, which would become known as Camp Andy.

According to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing historian, Dr. Karen Miller, Camp Andy was named in honor of Master Sgt. Evander E. "Andy" Andrews, who was the first American servicemember to lose his life in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sergeant Andrews, a native of Solon, Maine, worked in the civil engineer squadron here and was deployed from the 366th Civil Engineer Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. He was killed in a forklift accident Oct. 10, 2001 while working on the new settlement that would soon bear his name.

Soon after the accident, civil engineers who worked with Sergeant Andrews began referring to the new settlement as Camp Andy, in his honor.

Construction on Camp Andy continued as permanent facilities were built to support fuel bladders and a 24-hour flight clinic was added.

The base became the hub for Air Force operations in the U.S. Central Command Air Forces area of responsibility, which helped hasten its transition from a contingency environment to a steady-state operation, according to the historian.

At the beginning of 2004, a plan was outlined that would move facilities and personnel from Camp Andy to a new settlement, Coalition Compound, which was located on the other side of the Combined Air and Space Operations Center, where most of the Desert Eagle Team now resides.

Eventually, Coalition Compound's facilities will give way to an enduring presence when servicemembers begin moving into Millennium Village, which will feature fully hardened facilities, including multi-level dormitories.