Coat of Arms of the 66^th Armor

George Patton was born in 1895; Roberto Andrade was born and raised in Phoenix almost a century later, in 1982.

George Patton was commissioned in 1909 and performed magnificently in the 1912 Summer Olympics; Roberto Andrade moved to Chicago and then enlisted in 2002, quickly rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant.

In 1916 Patton chased Pancho Villa back into Mexico with General Pershing.

In 1917 Pershing assigned Patton to the newly assigned United States Tank Corps.

In 1918 Patton took command of the 1st Provisional Tank Brigade.

The 1st Provisional Tank Brigade is today known as the 66th Armor Regiment and is the oldest armored unit in the United States Army. (The next two pictures are from Wikipedia.)

George Patton, 1918

Roberto too served in the 66^th Armor Regiment.

Soldiers of the 66^th in Iraq, 2008

George Patton died on December 21, 1945; Roberto Andrade died on January 18, 2009.

Army Staff Sergeant Roberto Andrade, Jr.

The DoD announcement says Roberto Andrade is from Chicago. Roberto died in Baghdad last Sunday. As I write this on Thursday evening, his funeral has already become a confirmed mission but I still don’t know much about Roberto. His family was notified Wednesday evening, just 24 hours ago. Then, on Thursday morning, PGR member xtremesk8ter314 made a posting to Roberto’s forum and gave us all some insight.

Jonathan played hockey and his birthday is March 14, hence: xtremesk8ter314. Roberto was Jonathan’s first supervisor in the USA but they did not deploy together. Jonathan’s membership was registered at 10:44 this morning and his post was time-stamped at 10:58 this morning. He wrote:

When I arrived at my first duty station as a young Private, Roberto Andrade, a Specialist at the time, took me under his wing. He was a great friend, a great leader and a great mentor. He taught me everything I knew about the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and that is no small feat. Because of his dedication and hard work, I quickly moved to become the squad level subject matter expert on the vehicle and operations conducted with it. His attention to detail also rubbed off on me and we had the only Bradley with a clean maintenance history and no down time.

I can personally attest to his character. He was very firm when he needed to be, but he was always willing to go out of his way to accommodate the needs of his Soldiers. He always put his Soldiers before himself. I proudly wear the Specialist rank today, and I am the person I am today because of what SSG Andrade has instilled in my life. The things he taught me, I have passed on to other young Soldiers. Because of his influential nature, his actions still touch the hearts of many.

SSG Andrade, you have watched over me since the day I arrived in the unit. You have guided me throughout my military career. I have no doubt in my mind that you are in a better place, still diligently watching and guiding us today. Rest in peace my friend. You will never be forgotten!

Roberto Andrade was a great soldier in the tradition of George Patton. We can see the evidence reflected in xtremesk8ter314.

Friday morning, 0400: We learn that the services will be held in Phoenix where his father and sister live. My first reaction was disappointment that the northern Illinois PGR will not have the chance to participate in the honoring of this soldier. My disappointment is tempered by the certainty that the national reach of the PGR will guarantee dedicated and devoted members anywhere the family wants us to be.

Rest In Peace, Roberto.

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