Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1994 Lucky Bag:

Scott Thomas Bracher

“Where are you from…where??” “Racks have to be made already?” “It’s chocolate, not chawklit!” Running back from Bishop. PBJ for dinner, too much homework, go for pilot instead. Cannon ball. Scooter’s squad. “Take the wheel, Scott.” Flying fish. Life, chicken noodle soup, hot chocolate. “Dis me, Dis me, this is Boned, over.” “I wanna go dancing.” “Whose pants are these?” Liz…bad move; 2 years. Outrunning Annapolis police. Darts. Hack. Nabia left 2/C year. “No, I didn’t throw the water.” DAC. “I was eating a peach!” “What, for a field trip?!” 94 days, 3 weekends, swollen bank account. Thanksgiving–" you’re the hook.” 3 stars and 3 bars. Late night Oreo run…”My hat!” “You haven’t packed yet!?” No bags till tomorrow. “We’re in Ohio!” “I pushed you down?!” “Get in the shower!” King of whining. From Cali, NY, and nowhere, from I-day on you’ve been a great roommate and friend. TAB & DCB

Loss

Scott was lost on September 21, 2005 when the S-3B Viking he was piloting crashed near Jacksonville, Florida during a training flight. He was a member of Sea Control Squadron (VS) 32.

Other Information

From Legacy.com:

Born in Oceanside, NY, on December 27, 1971, Lt. Cmdr. Bracher spent his formative years in Malverne, NY. Following graduation from the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, MD, in 1994, he embarked upon a Naval Aviation career. A decorated pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Bracher earned the Navy Top Hook award five times during overseas deployments. The award recognized those pilots with the highest achievement in carrier landing performance. In 2001, he was the Landing Signals Officer (LSO) of the Year for VS-32. During Operation Enduring Freedom, he conducted multiple combat missions, earning him two Air Medals and a Navy Commendation Medal for his honorable contribution to the war on terror.

Lt. Cmdr. Bracher’s specialized Navy training also aided him during off-duty hours. During a VS-32 squadron detachment to the Caribbean in the summer of 2001, he and a fellow squadron mate saved the lives of two small children who nearly drowned in a hotel pool.

In addition to his passion for flying, Lt. Cmdr. Bracher’s love of baseball early in life carried though his college years. He played baseball at Annapolis. After a miraculous recovery from a difficult back surgery, he began competing in triathlons and enjoyed rounds of golf with friends.

Lt. Cmdr. Bracher was laid to rest on September 29, 2005, with full military honors, at Barrancas Cemetery, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, FL. His parents, Lorraine and Gregory Bracher, of Pensacola, and a brother, Todd Bracher, of London, England, survive him.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Scott graduated from Malverne High School in 1990. As a sophomore, he was on the varsity baseball team. His head coach Hector Lopez was the third Yankees outfielder, along with Maris and Mantle, to win a World Series Ring. Scott, a senior catcher in 1990 was quoted as saying. “I think coach has to adjust to our limitations. But everybody will believe what he says a lot quicker because he was a major-league ballplayer.”

He is buried in Florida.

Photographs