GRAND RIVER, Ohio — A special honor was given on Tuesday to a fallen war hero in Lake County.
The Grand River post office was dedicated in honor of the late Lance Corporal Andrew Nowacki.
Andrew, known to most as Andy or Ace, was a graduate of Brush High School and a patrolman for the Grand River Police Department. He was tragically killed in action while serving his second tour in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps in 2005.
Lance Corporal Nowacki was just 24 years old.
To honor Andy's legacy and sacrifice, Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) introduced H.R. 3275 in June of 2019 to designate the Grand River Post Office as the "Lance Corporal Andy 'Ace' Nowacki Post Office". The measure passed the House on September 14, 2020 and was signed into law on December 21, 2020.
"Our son was just one of those special people, he was always a giver," Andy's father Denis Nowacki told 3News after Tuesday's ceremony.
"Andy was a pretty special individual," added his mother Sheila. "He had a very very big heart, but he liked to have fun too. When you have a big heart and you like to have fun, you embrace a lot of people, which is what he did."
Congressman Joyce was among the guests for Tuesday's ceremony, along with other members of the Nowacki family, representatives of the United States Postal Service, and the United States Marine Corps Color Guard.
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