Sireno did first tour in Afghanistan in 2011
By Mike Ramczyk
“The first time you hear a rocket go off, you realize it’s kind of crazy.”
Burlington resident Andrew Sireno, 31, recalls his first stint with the United States Army overseas, in Afghanistan in 2011, when he volunteered to work as a carpenter and helped an infantry unit.
What began as a mission to build a base turned into full-on protection mission, combing villages to cut off Taliban trade lines and keep the peace.
There were attacks once a week, and Sireno recalls seeing horrific things, things the soft-spoken, humble Burlington High School math teacher doesn’t care to repeat.
With his 33-year-old brother – the father of three – already having served two stints overseas, Sireno figures it’s his duty to answer his country’s call again, rather than someone like his brother.
He got the call in September that his unit would be deployed a second time, this time in Iraq, for nine months during the school year.
Sireno left Wednesday for Missouri and will spend 40 days training in Texas before heading to Iraq late in the summer.
“Seeing my brother do it, and others, I should have to do it,” said Sireno, an Army Reservist who goes to drill once a month in Missouri. “No matter what happens, you have to get up the next day and go to work. You don’t have time to be scared. (But) if you say you’re not scared, you’re lying.”
A special send-off
A quiet guy who isn’t the biggest fan of attention, Sireno couldn’t resist the kind gesture from friends and fellow Burlington baseball coaches Tom Krause and Bob Lee Monday night.
Sireno got a text from Krause earlier in the day that he’d be throwing out the first pitch at the Kenosha Kingfish minor league game Monday night.
To Sireno’s surprise, his wife Annie, parents, fellow coaches, two uncles, an aunt and a cousin – more than 20 people – were there to support him.
“My pitch was terrible, I made the catcher jump,” Sireno joked.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Lee took the microphone and began singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” then quickly handed it to Sireno to finish the song. Sireno had no idea that was happening but executed the song quite nicely in front of the more than 1,000 fans.
“It’s a good thing I know the words,” Sireno joked to his wife.
For Krause, it was the coaches’ way of saying thank you for Sireno’s selfless act of service.
“Andrew is a great soldier but even a better person,” Krause said. “We worry for ‘Reno’s safety, but know he’ll be back with our baseball staff and family soon.”
“I’m honored to know that Andrew is doing the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country. We are so very proud of him.”
Keeping in touch
Back in 2011, when Sireno was in Afghanistan for a full year, he and Annie were just a few years into their relationship.
With student teaching and college consuming their lives, there wasn’t much time to miss each other.
But now, the couple will be married three years on July 19, an anniversary Andy will have to miss. They went to dinner for their two-year, 11-month anniversary recently, and Annie plans to visit Andy in Texas for a weekend before he leaves for Iraq.
Wednesday morning wasn’t easy, but Annie, 29, a teacher and head volleyball coach at Union Grove High School, said she is pretty easy going and understands the situation.
“It’s sad,” Annie said about dropping Andy at Mitchell International Airport Wednesday morning. “The paperwork wasn’t ready for two soldiers Andy left with, so we were able to spend some time and say our goodbyes. Andy’s mindset was, ‘Let’s get this started so this can be over with.’”
“There are days where I’ll cry, but usually I’m good. I’m level-headed and tough.”
Annie strategically scheduled her volleyball camps while Andy is gone, and she said her neighbors have already been offering to cut their grass and help in any way possible.
According to Annie, Andy enjoys the military and is very good at his job. At home, there’s an “Army room” with awards and an Andy Sireno bobblehead – self-built with a green helmet and machine gun painted over Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers.
“He is always the best at physical fitness,” Annie said. “He would rather go to Iraq than have his brother go. He is one of the toughest people I know and is very modest.”
Leader of men
Annie said they need someone with rank higher than sergeant, and Andy, a staff sergeant, will be in charge of eight or nine other soldiers. Hailed as a leader, Andy enjoys the relationships he builds with his troops.
He keeps in touch with a friend from Hawaii once a month, ever since they met in Afghanistan six years ago.
“I joked with my bosses at school that it will be like a vacation,” Andy said of his nine-month deployment. “I like being with the troops and living the life. There’s great camaraderie. The Army is a lot smaller than you think. It’s about hanging and staying busy.”
When the deployment is over, Sireno will return to teaching at Burlington High School.
Communication was off and on during Andy’s first tour. Phone calls happened roughly once a week, and sometimes FaceTime would have such a bad connection that the couple would be forced to try another time.
This time, Annie gave Andy an old iPhone that should help establish an internet connection.
“I think we’ll talk on the phone more,” Annie said. “I plan on just working a lot, and I have plenty of family around.”
While Andy said the two have been talking about expanding the family with a child, he acknowledged that plan is on hold.
Annie said Andy should be back in May, in time to see his students graduate and coach the end of the baseball season.
Andy downplayed the risks associated with being in such a hostile, unstable environment. He said it’s hot in Iraq, just like a “blow dryer.”
It was really a no-brainer to return to the land of “moon dust,” as he and his comrades call it.
“From what I hear, everyone else is more concerned,” Andy said. “If I could’ve volunteered, I would’ve.”
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