Captain Andrew Reuben Pearson, known to his family and friends as Drew, was a devoted husband, father, leader, and friend.
Drew was born in Worland, WY on October 5, 1975 to Ron and Sue (Wigdorski) Pearson. He grew up in Billings, MT with two half-sisters, Heather and Jennifer, and two half-brothers, Wayne and Hugh.
Drew enlisted in the Army in 1994, serving as a corrections and detention specialist at Fort Lewis, WA. In 1996, he earned admission to the USMA Prep School (USMAPS) at Fort Monmouth, NJ. Drew was chosen from over 70 of his classmates to be the first company commander for Bravo Company, where his prison guard training continued to pay dividends and his spot-on impersonation of the company tactical officer kept his peers smiling all year. Balancing his intense focus and work ethic with a wry smile and quick wit, Drew was respected and well liked throughout his time as a cadet and officer.
Drew reported to West Point for R-Day in June 1997. Thanks to his prior enlisted service and the thinning hair that only comes with wisdom, Drew was known as “Grandpa” to his fellow plebes. His elder statesman status allowed him to legally enjoy a beer, starting at USMAPS, long before his less seasoned classmates.
As a cadet, Drew competed on the Cross Country Team and Orienteering Club, majored in economics, and completed both Airborne and Air Assault schools during his cadet summers. He was again chosen to lead his company, commanding Company H-2 as a firstie. Drew chose Infantry as his branch and Schofield Barracks, HI as his first duty station.
Drew first met the love of his life in January 2001. His H-2 classmates vividly remember Drew’s excitement at having found Jon Marie or “Jo” in the early days of online dating. Ever decisive, he proposed during spring break three months later. “When you know, you know,” Jo said, recalling their whirlwind courtship. Two weeks after his graduation, Andrew and Jo Pearson were married on June 16, 2001 in Boise, ID. They had four children: Drew adopted Dan, Gabby, and Cheyenne; and Kristopher was born in Hawaii in 2002.
From his earliest days Drew enjoyed the outdoors: hunting, fishing, camping and hiking. He continued those passions into adulthood. An ardent fan of classic rock, he taught his children to appreciate Three Dog Night and Neil Diamond during road trips. Planning to make the Army a career, Jo and Drew intended to return to Montana after his retirement.
Drew attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course and Ranger School, then reported to Schofield Barracks, starting as a platoon leader with 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division. He progressed to support platoon leader and then battalion staff, and in 2004 Drew deployed with 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He completed the Maneuver Captain’s Career Course at Fort Knox, KY in 2005 and transferred to Fort Hood, TX, from which he immediately deployed to Iraq with 7th Battalion, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division.
In February 2007, Drew assumed command of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, also in 4th Infantry Division. Feeling he had spent too much of his previous two combat tours on staff, Jo said Drew was excited to lead his company during its deployment to Iraq. “He was exactly where he wanted to be, leading American soldiers in combat.”
On April 30, 2008, Captain Andrew Pearson and his driver, Specialist Ronald Tucker, were in the lead vehicle during an enemy improvised explosive device attack on their convoy. Both Drew and Specialist Tucker were killed in action, but the rest of the convoy’s soldiers survived.
Soldiers in Drew’s command remembered him as a highly respected and proficient officer that loved his men, a leader who always put his family and his company first. “Glimpses of his enlisted days would often shine through as he would spend countless hours on the ground explaining to even the lowest-ranking soldiers why their jobs were crucial on the battlefield,” recalled his executive officer.
Among his many awards and decorations, Drew earned the Combat Infantryman Badge and multiple Bronze Star Medals on his prior two deployments, as well as the Purple Heart when he made the ultimate sacrifice. “He believed in what he was doing and gave his all for America,” his father, Ron Pearson, said in an interview at the time of Drew’s death. “He was very resolute in what he was doing.”
Prior to deploying, Drew told Jo he wanted Arlington National Cemetery to be his final resting place. Following a wake and funeral service attended by dozens of his classmates, Drew’s remains were placed at Arlington Cemetery in the Columbarium. American Legion Post 117 in his hometown of Billings is named for Drew.
To accompany his Howitzer photo, Drew chose the following passage from John F. Kennedy’s famed 1961 inaugural address: “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it.”
— A Classmate