Casualties

Iraqi Insurgent Attack Kills Wis. Soldier
Sgt. Earl Werner Killed By Explosive Device | WISN

A Wisconsin soldier was killed while serving in Iraq.

The Department of Defense said that Sgt. Earl Werner, 38, of Mondovi, died when insurgents attacked his vehicle with a "penetrator" explosive devise.

The attack happened on Friday in Rashid, Iraq.

Werner was assigned to the 41st Special Troops Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Oregon Army National Guard in Portland.

His death marked the 100th soldier or Marine from the state to die in Iraq or Afghanistan since late 2001.

Officials said that Pvt. Taylor Marks, 19, of Monmouth, Ore., was also killed in the attack.

5th year anniversary mass to be held at Sacred Heart Parish, 169 Cummings Highway, Sunday, 08/30/2009 in Roslindale, MA 02131 @ 9:15 a.m.

Memorial Note at Daily Kos:

Hi Alex,

I'm here again to remember you. It's hard to believe it's been 5 years since your short life ended in Iraq. You would be 25 years old now if you were still here with us. A lot has happened in 5 years. One thing that hasn't changed is your friends are still in Iraq. We're trying hard to bring everyone home but in 5 years nothing really has changed.

One thing that did happen the past year was your father voting for the President of the US for the first time in his life. I can't tell you how proud he was placing his vote, thinking of you while he did it.

I haven't been able to talk to your parents in a few months. We've both found ourselves in hard economic times and it seams like we spend all of our time chasing the all mighty dollar just to keep a roof over our heads. Melida did give me some great advice on some people who could help us and I'm so thankful to her because when I thought all was lost her contact came through for us. Things are going to be OK now that we have a President who cares about us a little bit more than the last one.

The Christmas holidays were a little easier on your parents this year. It was the first time since you left them they felt like celebrating a little. But it's still hard for them not having your presence around them. Read more.

15 Casualties Reported Over 14 Days in Afghanistan and Iraq
The average age among the fallen is 25.
Tim King | Salem-News.com

Reports of American casualties in Afghanistan are frequent in recent days. In this dispatch we learn that nine U.S. Army soldiers, five Marines and one U.S. Navy sailor were killed between July 25 and August 7, 2009.

Thirteen of the deaths occurred during combat operations in Afghanistan. One soldier died from injuries suffered during an anti-tank grenade in Iraq, and one soldier in Iraq died from non-combat related circumstances.

Of the fallen, Florida, Texas, Mississippi and North Carolina paid the highest price with two residents among each of those states listed here. Other states these members of the U.S. military hailed from include Georgia, New York, Hawaii, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Read more.

Fort Bragg Iraq war vet kills girlfriend, then himself
By Glenda Anderson | The Press Democrat

A Fort Bragg man and his former girlfriend were found shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide that left the small town on the Mendocino coast reeling Tuesday.

Jacob Gregory Swanson, 26, a former Army paratrooper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was haunted by his memories of combat and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, said his mother, Tracy Swanson.

Jacob Swanson apparently shot Amy Rochelle Salo, 36, and then turned the gun to his own head sometime Monday afternoon, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Lt. Rusty Noe reported Tuesday. He described their relationship as on again, off again.

Salo, the mother of three children ages 3, 10 and 12, was a personal trainer and cycling instructor at Mendocino Sport Club. Read more.

US Iraq Casualties soar to 73,417
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered six combat casualties in the week ending August 18 but the official total since the 2003 invasion soared to at least 73,417. The total includes 34,934 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes. The sharp rise reflects the official count of a July 4 total of more than 38,483 dead and medically evacuated from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.** In addition, IC names eight service members who died of wounds after they left Iraq and are not counted by the Pentagon.***

"Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union," by David Swanson is due in stores September 1st, but the publisher has it now and you can get it straight from Seven Stories Press.

Five US Troops Killed as Afghan Violence Swells
26 Afghans, most of them members of a wedding party, are reported killed in roadside bombings. The Americans died in two separate incidents.
By Laura King | LA Times

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan - The pace of American combat deaths in Afghanistan has quickened anew as roadside bombs killed five U.S. troops in 24 hours in the same western province, the American military said Thursday.

The deaths bring to 11 the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan so far in August, on the heels of what was the worst month for Western and U.S. troop fatalities since the conflict began in 2001. Forty-three American military personnel died in July.

Violence has been surging in advance of Afghanistan's presidential and provincial assembly elections, which are two weeks away. In addition to the troop fatalities, a total of 26 Afghans, most of them members of a wedding party, were reported killed in roadside bombings Thursday. Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,420
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered three combat casualties in the week ending August 11, 2009 as the official total since the 2003 invasion rose to at least 72,420. The total includes 34,928 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,492 dead and medically evacuated (not reported since April 4!) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.** In addition, IC names eight service members who died of wounds after they left Iraq and are not counted by the Pentagon.***

Hundreds says goodbye as Army Spc. Justin Dean Coleman is laid to rest at Florida National Cemetery
By John Frank | St. Petersburg Times

As the doors of the hearse opened, revealing the flag-draped casket, a warm August wind caused the American flags at Florida National Cemetery to stand at attention.

A bagpiper heralded the arrival with Amazing Grace, and military pallbearers wheeled Army Spc. Justin Dean Coleman's casket along the crushed seashell sidewalk, the family trailing behind.

More than 200 mourners placed hands to hearts or stiff salutes to sweaty brows.

A prayer. Three volleys. Taps. And a folded flag for Spc. Coleman's young widow, his mother and his father.

Spc. Coleman, a 21-year-old from Hernando Beach, died in a firefight with insurgents July 24 in a remote, mountainous region of Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. Read more.

Special Forces officer from Fayetteville killed in Afghanistan | Fayetteville Observer

A Fayetteville man was among three Special Forces National Guard soldiers killed Sunday in Afghanistan.

Capt. Ronald G. Luce, 27, of Fayetteville, was killed when the vehicle in which he was on patrol hit a wire attached to a homemade bomb. He was a Special Forces team leader.

Also killed were Sgt. 1st Class Severin W. Summers, 43, of Bentonia, Miss., a Special Forces engineer sergeant, and Sgt. 1st Class Alejandro Granado, 42, of Longview, Texas, a Special Forces communications sergeant.

They were assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, which has headquarters at Jackson, Miss.

Luce is survived by his wife, Kendahl, and daughter, Carie, of Fayetteville, and parents Ronald and Katherine Luce of Sneads Ferry.

He is a native of Julian, Calif., who became a commissioned officer in 2002 after enrolling in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Valley Forge Military Academy.

Luce also received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., and attended the Infantry Officer's Basic Course, Infantry Captain's Career Course, Ranger School and Airborne School. Read more.

Afghan Bomb Kills Four US Troops | BBC

Nato forces in Afghanistan say that four American service members have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in the west of the country.

Two other roadside bomb attacks on Thursday in Helmand province left five civilians and five policemen dead.

The news comes as new Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen makes his first visit to the country.

In July Nato and US forces suffered their bloodiest month in the eight-year war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Read more.

Body of Slain Gainesville HS Grad, Marine Returns to US
By Lise Fisher and Lillian Guevara-Castro | Gainesville Sun

The body of Gainesville resident Donald Wayne Vincent, a U.S. Marine who died over the weekend while serving in Afghanistan, was returned to the United States Tuesday.

Vincent, 26, deployed to Afghanistan in May. He died Saturday while supporting combat operations in the country's Helmand province, according to the U.S. Department of Defense and other military sources. His body was flown to the Dover Air Force Base in Delware. Services for Vincent are pending, his father said Tuesday. Read more

Click here to read more.

Pictures below the fold. Click "Read more" for pictures.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,415
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered seven combat casualties in the week ending August 4, 2009, as the official total since the 2003 invasion rose to at least 72,415. The total includes 34,925 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,490 dead and medically evacuated (out of date: last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.** In addition, IC names eight service members who died of wounds after they left Iraq and are not counted by the Pentagon.***

Fallen Cashion Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan Stroud was to become a father
Friends and educators recall 20-year-old as a smart, caring man
By Bryan Painter | NewsOK

On July 4, Marine Lance Cpl. Jonathan Stroud penned a letter to fellow 2007 Cashion High School graduate Sam Boyd, the best man in his wedding last November.

Stroud, 20, was killed Thursday while serving in Afghanistan. On Friday, Boyd unfolded the letter and read it aloud:

"Hey guys I hope all is well. I should be back here pretty soon in about four-and-a-half months.

"It’s really hot here; we moved from the desert down to the river, and now it’s super hot and humid.

"It’s really pretty out here in its own way.

"It’s peaceful at night except when you hear the gunshots.

"Oh yeah, I don’t know if Lacie told you all yet, but she went to the doctor and they couldn’t tell the sex of the baby yet, but based off the speed of the heartbeat, it should be a girl.” Read more.

Michael Munk commented on the news article below:

Americans forget that Iraq turned out to be telling the truth when it insisted against US claims that it had no WMDs. Now, finally, another US claim turns out the be false and confirms Iraq was again telling the truth: The attacking US pilot was indeed killed when his plane was shot down and he was NOT held prisoner.

Remains of first U.S. Gulf War casualty found
By Jim Wolf | Reuters via Yahoo! News | August 3, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The remains of a U.S. Navy pilot have been found and positively identified, more than 18 years after he was shot down over Iraq and became the first U.S. casualty of the first Gulf War, the U.S. Defense Department said on Sunday.

The Pentagon's announcement resolved questions about the fate of Captain Michael Scott Speicher, who some believed had survived his shoot-down and been taken prisoner by Iraq.

Bone fragments and skeletal remains were recovered in the desert last week by U.S. Marines stationed in Iraq's Anbar province, thanks to a tip from an Iraqi citizen, the department said. It said they were identified as Speicher's by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

Speicher's F/A-18 Hornet fighter was shot down over west-central Iraq on January 17, 1991, the first night of the first Gulf War, which eventually drove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

An official Navy history identified Speicher as the first American casualty of the conflict. Some reports had emerged that Speicher, 33 when he was downed, might have survived and become a captive of Saddam.

On January 11, 2001, Speicher's status was changed from killed in action to missing in action.

The U.S. intelligence community had concluded that Baghdad could account for Speicher's fate but was concealing information, according to an unclassified summary of its findings released in March 2001.

Then-president George W. Bush, in a September 12, 2002, speech to the U.N. General Assembly, had cited Speicher's possible detention as part of his case for post-September 11 action against Iraq, along with allegations that Saddam was developing banned weapons of mass destruction and was sponsoring terrorism.

The Iraqi government had maintained from the start that Speicher died in the crash, although his remains had gone unrecovered, fueling conspiracy theories.

The Iraqi who told Marines about the remains said he knew of two Iraqi citizens who recalled a U.S. jet crashing in the desert. One said he had been present when Speicher was found dead at the site and buried there by Bedouin tribesmen. The Iraqis led the Marines to the crash site. Read more.

How Many Civilian Deaths Are Acceptable?
By Tom Hayden | Boston.com

In contrast, epidemiologists at Johns Hopkins employed active surveillance techniques, based on randomized household surveys typically used in war zones. By these measures, civilian casualties were at least three times higher than the numbers from the Iraq Body Count. The real numbers disappeared in a fog of war generated in part by the Pentagon and White House....To move forward, Kerry’s committee should release the Pentagon’s classified answer and, if necessary, press for further clarification.

It was a cryptic Pentagon answer to Senator John Kerry’s straightforward question, in notes from the Senate hearing on May 21:

Question. According to The New York Times July 20, 2003, Secretary Rumsfeld personally approved over 50 US airstrikes in Iraq which were expected to kill up to 50 innocent Iraqi civilians each. According to Pentagon policy at the time, any strikes expected to result in 50 or more civilian deaths as unavoidable collateral damage were to be approved personally by the Secretary. The media was informed of this policy in July 2003 when the chief US commander disclosed the sign-off policy. Does that policy continue today in Afghanistan, and, if so, in what form? Do White House or Pentagon officials sign off on bombing runs where civilian casualties are expected to be higher than 50? Which officials?

Answer. (DELETED)

Does the Obama administration, specifically the secretary of defense, know in advance how many innocent civilians are expected to die before bombing raids are approved in Afghanistan and Pakistan? This was the case with Donald Rumsfeld during the bombing of Iraq.

Now the administration insists on keeping the answers secret.

If the previous policy has been discontinued, that means the White House is delegating the projected body counts to lower field commanders, an unlikely abdication of sensitive decisions.

If the policy continues, does Secretary of Defense Robert Gates personally approve? Is the president in the loop? Do they believe there is an acceptable level of unavoidable civilian casualties, and, if so, what is that level and who sets it? Read more.

When: October 24, 2009, 2 PM - 7 PM

Where: School of Visual Arts
209 E 23rd St
New York, NY 10010-3994

What: As part of the Humanities and Sciences’ Conference, “Visions of War; the arts represent conflict”, on Saturday, October 24, 2009, The Film and Animation Department will screen a series of films addressing the spiritual, emotional, and psychological wounds of war from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the SVA Theater.

Traffic jams at Arlington Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery Plans to Move Beyond Its Borders As More WWII Veterans Die and Are Joined by Iraq Casualties
By Michael E. Ruane | Washington Post

At Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, there were four funerals scheduled at 9 a.m., three at 10 a.m., six at 11 a.m., and 15 between 1 and 3 p.m.

The nation's shrine to its military dead had 6,785 funerals in the just-concluded fiscal year, an all-time record. Now, as the dying of the World War II generation peaks, the cemetery is so busy that despite careful choreography, people attending one funeral can hear the bugle and rifle salutes echoing from another.

As a result, the cemetery is about to begin a $35 million expansion that would push the ordered ranks of tombstones beyond its borders for the first time since the 1960s. Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,408
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered eight combat casualties in the six days ending July 28, 2009 as the official total since the 2003 invasion rose to at least 72,408. The total includes 34,918 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,490 dead and medically evacuated (out of date: last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.** In addition, IC names eight service members who died of wounds after they left Iraq and are not counted by the Pentagon.***

52 percent of U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq, Afghanistan diagnosed with TBI | Mainichi Daily News

Some 52 percent of soldiers severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan who have come to the U.S. Army's largest hospital for treatment have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), an internal study has found.

The results of the study, carried out by Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, also showed a steep increase -- from 33 percent -- in TBI cases since the end of 2008.

Diagnoses of TBI are rising steadily as arrangements for TBI checks improve, while at the same time improvised explosive device (IED) attacks -- the primary cause of TBI -- in Afghanistan are intensifying, with 46 U.S. soldiers killed by the homemade bombs so far this year. Casualties from these attacks flow into Walter Reed, which provides treatment to badly wounded soldiers unavailable anywhere else. Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,400
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 19 combat casualties in the eight days ending July 22, 2009, as the official total since the 2003 invasion rose to at least 72,380. The total includes 34,910 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,490 dead and medically evacuated (out of date: last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.** In addition, the Iraq Coalition Casualty Report names eight service members who died of wounds after they left Iraq and are not counted by the Pentagon.***

North Fort Myers Marine was born leader
North Fort Myers sergeant was a week from end of his final tour
By Dave Breitenstein | News Press

Soldiers aren’t made; they’re born.

That was evident when Michael C. Roy was growing up in North Fort Myers.

“He knew he wanted to be in the military since a very early age,” said his father, Sgt. Michael Roy of Punta Gorda. “His older brother was in the Gulf War, in the Army.”

The younger Roy, a 25-year-old Marine, was killed Wednesday by a sniper in Afghanistan, joining more than 5,000 soldiers who have died in the Middle East since 2001. Fifteen of those are from Lee County, including 13 Army veterans and two Marines.

Roy was on his third tour of duty, a week from returning to Camp Lejeune, N.C., for good.

He enlisted Sept. 25, 2001, two weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and often talked about stopping terrorism, al-Qaida and Osama Bin Laden.

“He wanted to protect his country and wanted his children to grow up without war,” said Julie England, a longtime neighbor whose children befriended Roy. England also served as Roy’s home-school teacher for ninth grade. Read more.

World's Oldest Man, WWI Veteran Dies
World's oldest man, WWI veteran Henry Allingham, dies aged 113 in southern England
By Danica Kirka, Associated Press Writer | ABCNews

Allingham remained outspoken until his death, pleading for peace and begging anyone who would listen to remember those who died.

"I think we need to make people aware that a few men gave all they had to give so that you could have a better world to live in," he said. "We have to pray it never happens again."

The world's oldest man, 113-year-old World War I veteran Henry Allingham, died Saturday after spending his final years reminding Britain about the 9 million soldiers killed during the conflict.

Allingham was the last surviving original member of the Royal Air Force, which was formed in 1918. He made it a personal crusade to talk about a conflict that wiped out much of a generation. Though nearly blind, he would take the outstretched hands of visitors in both of his, gaze into the eyes of children, veterans and journalists and deliver a message he wanted them all to remember.

"I want everyone to know," he told The Associated Press during an interview in November. "They died for us." Read more.

The Corpse Factory
By Bruce E. Jones | Extract from book, Kill War, Save Vets

“The Corpse Factory” was the title of a military expose written by Lord Arthur Ponsonby after WWI.

The corpse factory is war, but mostly it is the mindset that causes war.

To put that final nail in the coffin of the war mindset, to lock down that corpse factory, think about the “drums and guns and drums and guns, hurroo” … and the flags and the parades and the bands, and the bunting and the Support The Troops stickers, the uniformed men and women marching in spit-polish patriotism. The young men and women, heads held high, hearts beating like the drums before them, as they loyally follow orders aiming them into the darkness of the corpse factory.

Lethal Warriors
By James Starowicz | 'Imagine' A World Of Peace,Understanding,Tolerance

Not a good report, but with the stress levels of multiple tours and possibly in two theaters, longer tours for much of the time our soldiers have been in both theaters, stress of conflict, family, experiences and much more, this does not surprise! Nor will it when it doesn't get the coverage it should among our talking heads and politicians, let alone a country that has pretty much forgotten both occupations.

Army: Soldiers in slayings faced intense combat

Soldiers from a Colorado unit accused in nearly a dozen slayings since returning home - including a couple gunned down as they put up a garage sale sign - could be showing hostility fueled by intense combat in Iraq, where the troops suffered heavy losses and told of witnessing war crimes, the military said Wednesday.

In what was billed as its most comprehensive study to date of violent crimes and combat exposure, the Army looked at soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division - nicknamed the Lethal Warriors - who were accused in a spate of five killings around Colorado Springs, home to Fort Carson, in 2007 and 2008.

Six other slayings involving unit soldiers occurred in Colorado and other states since 2005.

We've been hearing about a number of incidents, that is by 'we' those who use multiple mostly online sources and either accidentally find them or use the right search words. The MSM is virtually silent except when one or two who get it are brave enough to fight to get the reports aired!!Read more.

US Iraq Casualties rise to 72,380
Compiled by Michael Munk | www.MichaelMunk.com

US military occupation forces in Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered three combat casualties in the week ending July 14 as the official total rose to at least 72,380. The total includes 34,891 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes and more than 37,489 dead and medically evacuated (last reported April 4, 2009) from "non-hostile" causes.*

The actual total is over 100,000 because the Pentagon chooses not to count as "Iraq casualties" the more than 30,000 veterans whose injuries-mainly brain trauma from explosions - were diagnosed only after they had left Iraq.**

Whittier soldier killed serving in Afghanistan after exactly 15 years in the Army
By Bethania Palma Markus | Whittier Daily News

To his fellow soldiers, he was known as First Sgt. Blue C. Rowe. But to his nieces and nephews, he was known affectionately as "Uncle Blue."

Rowe, a noncommissioned officer for the U.S. Army, was serving his first tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was on his way home to Whittier when he was killed May 26 by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Panjshir, Afghanistan, on his 15th anniversary in the military, his family said. He was 33.

"He was a Southern gentleman," said his wife, Cindy Rowe, 37. "He was good to me, good to our son, good to the family."

The couple met 13 years ago while serving in Croatia, when Cindy was a medic for Rowe's unit, she said. They married after two years. Rowe then moved from his native Arkansas to join Cindy and the rest of her family in Southern California.

"He was a big-hearted person," said sister-in-law Mindy Morales. "He was the funniest guy."

Morales said Rowe and his wife had just bought a home in Whittier. Rowe only had the chance to spend a few days there before he was killed, she said.

Rowe was a loving father to his 7-year-old son Andrew, his relatives said. He was also known as a doting, adventurous uncle to seven nieces and nephews. Read more.

IORIO, BRADLEY W. 19 - of Galloway, died on May 29, 2009 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany from a non-combat related injury suffered on May 27, 2009, six days after arriving in Tallil, Iraq. The Army saw to it that his parents and brothers were there with him. Born in Freehold Township, he moved to Smithville in 1996 and graduated from Absegami High School in 2008. PV2 Iorio enlisted in August. Bradley loved his Legos, cub scouts, video and computer games (playing with his brother Rick), soccer, hockey, the Emanon Players, his youth group, camping with his brother Vinnie at Creation, haunting the Village on Halloween, and one day owning his dream Mustang. With the Emanon Players he traveled to England and Scotland, received National Honor Thespian, The McGyver Award, The Door Knob Award, The Emanon Players Backstage Award twice and Absegami's Best Thespian. His Friends and those his life touched, will miss him. Quiet by nature, Brad never sat silently when a Friend was in need. He had the ability to lighten a serious moment with his amazing sense of humor. Read more.