MICHAEL F. BRADLEY, MAJ, USMC

★★★ Memorial Monday ★★★

MAJ Michael Bradley, USMCR '79 was lost on September 8, 1993 when the helicopter rotor assembly of the Cobra gunship he was piloting failed in flight, causing him to crash at Montgomery Airfield, San Diego, California. A Lieutenant Commander aboard, a flight surgeon, was also killed. Michael was a member of Marine Air Group 46 at the time.

From a newspaper report:

His “passions for lacrosse and naval aviation, combined with a wonderful sense of humor, transcended all aspects of his life,” [a family statement said]. "His dedication to family and friends was his driving force."

He coached the San Dieguito High School lacrosse team and played as a goalie with the Moon-doggies, a San Diego lacrosse club.

Born in Camden. N.J., Bradley grew up in Huntington, Long Island, with his two brothers and three sisters. He graduated from the U S. Naval Academy and was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1979, than attended Navy Flight School in Pensacola, Fla.

As a pilot, he flew helicopters on Western Pacific deployments with HMLA 367 and later with HMLA 369, both based at Pendleton. He joined the reserves in 1991 to fly a Super Cobra with HMLA 775, serving as the squadron’s operations officer.

During Operation Desert Storm, when HMLA 369 was deployed to Saudi Arabia. Bradley stayed at Camp Pendleton and served as the squadron's liaison with its key-wives, a support group for spouses of deployed Marines.

"He went above and beyond his assigned duty to make sure the wives had information and support," said Pam Lewis, one of the women in the group. He had access to the squadron and was always available by telephone.

Bradley also served as the squadron's casualty-assistance officer and was responsible for notifying the families of two Marine aviators killed during the operation, she said. …

Bradley is survived by his wife, Jean (Schaum) Bradley, formerly of Montgomery, Ala.; his parents, Frank and Betty Bradley of Melbourne, Fla.; sisters, Keats, Su and Trish; and brothers, Jim and Paul.

To Honor! ⚓

https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/MICHAEL_F._BRADLEY,_MAJ,_USMCR