Andros, born Demosthenes Konstandies Andrikoupolos in Oklahoma City, was the second of three sons of Greek immigrants. He received his high school education at Oklahoma City's Central High School, and then enlisted in the military in 1942. Andros was a veteran of World War II where he served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps. A cook, he picked up a rifle and was awarded the Bronze Star and spent more than a month under heavy fire on the island of Iwo Jima. He was present at the famed moment when six soldiers raised the American flag on Iwo Jima.