Andrew's Story:

The drive to serve has always been a matter of profound personal conviction for Andrew Peter. In 2004, deeply moved by a close family member who was severely injured by an IED in Iraq, Andrew knew he could not sit on the sidelines. He convinced his parents to let him earn his GED early so he could enlist in the United States Army and enter basic training within a week. Andrew served in multiple different duty stations and units during his time in service, including the elite 1st brigade combat team in the 82nd airborne division at Fort Bragg, NC.

In 2007, while executing a critical convoy security mission in Iraq, Andrew’s life changed in an instant. A catastrophic blast inflicted a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Medevac’d to Germany under critical condition, Andrew’s family was given the devastating news that he might not survive. He arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Halloween day, facing an eight-month void in his memory and an agonizingly uncertain future.

The challenges that followed seemed genuinely insurmountable. While Andrew could still write and spell perfectly, the blast had severed his brain’s ability to process visual data: he had completely lost the ability to read, and while he could name objects or colors independently, he could no longer match them to their corresponding pictures. He was diagnosed with dementia and visual agnosia.

When the military moved to medically retire him, Andrew—supported fiercely by his grandfather, a proud Vietnam veteran who stood in the gap for him—refused to surrender. Showing the true heart of a warrior, Andrew embarked on a grueling recovery, undergoing intensive speech and cognitive therapy five days a week for eighteen months. Against all medical odds, he re-learned how to read, defeated the diagnosis, and returned to active duty. He would go on to serve his country for another nine years, earning promotions and serving with distinction as an Army Recruiter.

Andrew’s journey to recovery also brought him his greatest blessing. Years after his blast, while at a Warrior Transition Battalion, he watched a former combat medic step off a C130. Though his TBI obscured the specific details of what she had done for him in Iraq, the recognition was immediate. That elite medic became his wife, and they have now been married for 17 years, building a beautiful family together.

When Andrew finally hung up his uniform, he faced a challenge familiar to many combat veterans: a profound void where his mission used to be. The structured, high-stakes purpose of elite military service is difficult to replace in civilian life.

That purpose found him again one Sunday at church. A friend asked Andrew to help him recover items from a property that had been devastated by a fire. As Andrew worked through the smoke-damaged wreckage alongside his friend, a powerful realization took hold. He wasn’t just cleaning contents; he was stepping directly into the aftermath of a disaster to rescue the physical anchors of people's lives—the heirlooms, photographs, and memories they believed were lost forever.

The connection was immediate and deeply personal. Years prior, an elite medical and support team had stepped into the wreckage of a battlefield to rescue Andrew and restore his future. Now, he had the chance to do the exact same thing for families experiencing their absolute worst moments.

When his friend retired, Andrew seized the opportunity to purchase the franchise for FRSTeam of North Florida. Today, as the owner, Andrew applies the same warrior ethos of resilience, precision, and deep empathy to the restoration industry. Serving Jacksonville and the surrounding North Florida communities, Andrew and his team specialize in recovering textiles, electronics, and cherished belongings after fire, flood, or mold damage.

For Andrew, FRSTeam isn't just a business—it is the continuation of his watch. He has stood on the other side of catastrophic loss and come out victorious. Now, he leads his team with a singular, battle-tested mission: to bring hope, order, and restoration to families when they need it most.