Current.com Blog | February 22, 2010 | 8 comments

A tale of two Andrew Koenigs

Do you know who Andrew Koenig is? Maybe not by name, but if you've ever watched an episode of Growing Pains, then chances are you are familiar with his claim to fame.

Koenig played Mike Seaver's (Kirk Cameron) best friend "Boner" on the show, and in an unfortunate turn of events Koenig has been missing since a trip to visit friends in Vancouver on February 14th. It's been reported that the actor was suffering from depression, and several of the actor's friends have been posting about their concern via Facebook and Twitter.

I discovered this while monitoring Google Trends. I noticed that "growing pains actor missing" was trending, alongside several mentions of Andrew Koenig. While news of his disappearance is concerning, it did lead me to another Andrew Koenig, with an absolutely remarkable story of his own.

Around the same time Koenig the actor was last seen by friends in Vancouver, another Andrew Koenig experienced a stroke of luck nearly unheard of in his line of work. Koenig is actually Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig in the Marines, and more specifically he's a sniper fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

On Monday February 15th, Lance Cpl. Koenig was shot in the helmet by an insurgent Taliban sniper while defending an outpost near Marjah. Luckily for him, the bullet bounced right off of his helmet, and he walked away unscathed. It's one of those things that is seemingly unbelievable, but it happened. Check out his remarkable story for more details and photos.

I'm posting this because these two stories are seemingly interconnected, even if just married by the coincidence of a first and last name. It's amazing how things sync-up from time to time. While I deeply hope that Andrew Koenig, the actor, is found safe and sound, I also want to be certain that others were able to read about Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig's amazing brush with death while fighting in Afghanistan.

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    Afghanistan News,   Current.com Blog
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    War,  Afghanistan,  Military,  Death,  6 more
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8 comments // A tale of two Andrew Koenigs

  • nursediesel
    • 0
      nursediesel  

    • Great story, thanks for the two together. Sad about 'Boner'......depression is a horrible thing, really. It effects everyone around the sufferer....
      Great stroke of luck for the Lance Cpl.

    • 2 years ago
  • lizziehoffman
  • derk
  • phukna
  • EthicalVegan
    • +1
      EthicalVegan  

    • I am so glad you submitted this. It's well-written, and very, very touching.

      The only reason I personally submitted "the other" Andrew Koenig's story, the one who's gone missing, is because my son and I have a little connection with him, back when both he and my son were in "Growing Pains" (my son played Andrew's character's younger self). I do hope with all my heart he is safe, and can get whatever help he may need.

      As for Lance Cpl. Koenig... oh, my. What are the odds? I cannot imagine what his family and friends have been feeling ever since his news broke. I hope with all my heart that he can come home safely, and have a most wonderful, productive life. He more than deserves it.

    • 2 years ago
  • xiola
  • Jerrigity
    • +1
      Jerrigity  

    • Wow... theres not as much coincidence or irony in the names as portrayed, but how lucky was he to have literally dodged the one bullet that mattered most? Somebody meant to take him out and probably thinks they did.

    • 2 years ago
mario_a
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