Man of many words charging through life list

By Leia Jobe
CLEBURNE TIMES REVIEW (CLEBURNE, Texas)

CLEBURNE, Texas February 05, 2008 03:28 pm

— For 21-year-old Andrew Maddox, thrill-seeking is a way of life.

The Cleburne native served two tours in Iraq — where he learned Arabic. He can fly an airplane. He once flew to Russia on a whim - on a commercial plane, not one he piloted.

He joined the Marines fresh out of Rio Vista High School, in 2004 at age 17, trained as a sniper, and first deployed to Iraq in September 2005. He served as an interpreter during his second deployment, earning a Bronze Star nomination for translating and decoding an Iraqi conversation he overheard, which led to a successful Marine raid.

“I always wanted to be a sniper and a fighter-jet pilot,” he said. “I couldn’t picture myself working at a desk. It has to be exciting.”

Both goals have always been on his list of things to do in his lifetime, he said. Now that “join Marines,” “become a sniper” and “learn to speak Arabic” have been scratched off, Maddox is free to pursue the next item on his list: “become a fighter pilot.”

Maddox, a sergeant, has nine months left in the Marines, and he plans to start aviation school at the private LeTourneau University, a Christian school in Longview, in September. He chose a university aviation school over a military route because he wants a college education, he said.

He said the discipline and love for learning that have been building over the past few years have prepared him to enter the university setting.

His major?

“I’ll be majoring in engineering, economics, political science, aviation science and Russian,” Maddox said. “I kind of want to do everything. I think someday I’d like to get into politics, too.”

His target office?

“All of them,” he said, with a grin.



Arabic

Maddox taught himself to speak Arabic during his first deployment to Iraq. The skill enabled him to work as a translator during his second deployment.

“I think I was the first American-born Marine to ever be able to do that,” he said.

Knowing the language helped Maddox win awards and learn key intelligence. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and he is being considered for a Bronze Star. He was nominated after he listened in on a conversation in Arabic and learned the location of some insurgents and weapons caches, which the Marines successfully raided.

“I was just happy to be able to help out,” he said.

Maddox, who is fluent in Spanish and speaks some Russian, said he learned Arabic by speaking to Iraqis.

“One week every month I would have patrol, and I would talk to the Iraqi soldiers,” Maddox said. “All I did was just sit down and talk to them. It started with simple phrases, and I would just repeat them over and over. I’d get mobbed by kids every time I went out on patrol. They called me Mr. Andy. I’d sing songs with them in Arabic and give them candy.

“With foreign language, it’s always lots of study and lots of repetition. Just go talk - speak it. That’s how you learn. With something as difficult and intricate as the Arabic language, it’s really just paying attention to all the small details of the language,” he said.

It took him 14 months to learn, at a time when his main focus was the heavy combat he and his brigade were involved in daily, he said.

He managed to make it through two deployments without serious injury, and he learned one of the world’s most difficult languages while wearing Kevlar and carrying a gun.

“As a kid, I saw Arabic and thought it looked really hard, and I didn’t want to learn it,” he said. “But God had different plans. Before I joined the Marines, I knew what I wanted to be, but I didn’t have the fire in me to do it. Now I know that I can do anything.”

He is now fluent in the Arabic language, both written and spoken.


Deployment

Maddox and his best friend, Reese Threadgill, joined the military at the same time, following in the footsteps of Maddox’s older brother, Kris. Kris joined the Marines in 2002 and was deployed in the invasion of Iraq.

Next month, Maddox will travel to Korea with his sniper platoon to train with Korean marines.

Though his first tour in Iraq involved violent combat, Maddox said a major turning point in the war came between his first and second deployments.

During the second deployment, the streets were safer, and he became acquainted with Iraqis in the city of Ar Ramadi.

“Violence was down 50 percent,” Maddox said. “We had cleanup crews working, buildings being painted, people could use cell phones and the Internet, walk around in the streets without fear.

“There are a lot of misconceptions across the cultures. You know, East versus West. But once we established that human connection, those rumors and myths were dispelled. I got to know about 20 Iraqis. We got to know their kids. They would invite us over for dinner. And we’d go in and take off our Kevlar and have dinner with them. I think in the deepest human emotion, everyone wants peace.”


Fear

“I first met Andrew when he was in the fourth-grade when we moved to the neighborhood where he lived,” said Jami Shelton, a family friend. “He’s a perfect fit as a sniper. I figured that’s exactly what he was cut out to be. He was just so fearless, starting early. He would jump off things, jump onto things, ride his bike off things with absolutely no fear of what might happen.

“He can handle himself in any situation. You know that show, ‘24’? Andrew is Jack Bauer, [the show’s main character]. He’s always been very much a risk-taker. He’s fearless, and that’s the kind of people you need over there.”

Maddox said it’s OK to have fear.

“It’s good because it’s gonna keep you on your toes,” he said. “Fear’s good, but the moment you say you’re gonna quit, that’s when there’s a problem. Everyone has fear, but it’s how you use it that matters.

“There’s definitely some scary times over there. It’s human nature to let your guard down. But fear helps you concentrate. As a sniper, I’m afraid of other snipers and of the style of fighting over there. It’s terrorism. And the prime export of terrorism is fear. That really scares me because there are no boundaries to what they will do.”


Faith and family

Faith and education are of prime importance to Maddox.

“Faith plays a huge role,” Maddox said. “Me and my brother and my best friend had two trips each to Iraq. We couldn’t have made it through if Jesus Christ hadn’t been with us.”

Maddox’s family prays for him.

His father, Barney Maddox, is a physician in Cleburne, and Mary Ellen Maddox is a homemaker. They attend Cleburne Bible Church, and Andrew is the middle child. Kris is married and joined the military in 2002. Andrew Maddox’s sister, Holly, attends Texas Christian University.

Andrew ran track, played football and participated in powerlifting at Rio Vista High School.

“When he’s on deployment, it helps us to stay closer to the Lord every day,” said Andrew’s mother, Mary Ellen. “We ask the Lord every day to guard Andrew.

“He was always kind of a little military man. He loved jets, the Air Force. He and his brother just loved playing soldier. To me, he was just always a little soldier. Andrew’s always loved adventure. He learned how to fly a plane when he was in high school. Andrew is a very passionate person. He feels things and believes them deeply. He’s driven. He does everything 200 percent.”

Dean Elliott, Maddox’s youth pastor at Cleburne Bible Church, said he’s glad to see strong faith in Maddox.

“I’m really encouraged by what God has done in Andrew’s life,” Elliott said.

Leia Jobe writes for Cleburne (Texas) Times Review. Contact Jobe at reporter2@trcle.com

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