Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1979 Lucky Bag:

Michael F. Bradley

Mike came into the Navy from the G-Island, taking a year’s pitstop at the school for wayward athletes, NAPS. When Mike relocated to USNA, his family also relocated – without a forwarding address, as if they were trying to tell him something. If Mike had to know his phone number instead of his underwear number he never would have made it through plebe year. Being slightly mal-adjusted to being with, Mike tried to increase the condition by playing target man for the lacrosse team. Mike received an N-star for his efforts along with a few rearranged ribs. Being the athletic supporter he was, Mike nearly go the “N” of a different color for participating in the Bancroft Hall Lacrosse Open. Mike came back strong second class year being elected Ragman of the Year by ’81. First class year saw Mike breaking his golden rule of never getting stripes as he fearfully subcommanded the company through first set. Graduation will find Mike drifting toward helos with all out best wishes.

Loss

Michael was lost on September 8, 1993 when the rotor of the Cobra gunship he was piloting apparently broke in flight, causing it to crash onto the tarmac at Montgomery Airfield, San Diego, California. A Lieutenant Commander aboard, a flight surgeon, was also killed.

Mike was executive officer of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 773.

Other Information

From North County Blade-Citizen on September 12, 1993:

(from a written statement released by Michael’s family) His “passions for lacrosse and naval aviation, combined with a wonderful sense of humor, transcended all aspects of his life,” it states. “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.

A later investigation concluded that metal fatigue in the main rotor caused the rotor to come apart and the helicopter to crash.

He is interred at the Naval Academy Cemetery.

Photographs

From his wife on November 27, 2024 Source

Remembrances

From an email on February 22, 2018:

Mike had a wonderful sense of humor, he could be silly and was playful, he made me laugh often. He was genuine, honest, and had integrity. I met Mike in early 1980. He was a student in the USMC, and wanted to fly cobras. I believe Mike was selected for jets, but didn’t want to fly jets. We lived at the same apartment complex here in Pensacola and we dated right up to the time he left for San Diego. I only heard from Mike one time after he left. The last time I saw Mike was in 1986 here in Pensacola. I was visiting and had a chance to see him. Denise Schweich

Memorial Hall Error

Mike was a member of the reserves when he was lost. It is mentioned in his obituary above, and the November 1993 issue of Shipmate reports he was XO of “HMA 774.” (This is almost certainly a typo; that squadron does not appear to have ever existed. However, HMLA 773 is a reserve squadron that was activated for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (as in his obituary).) Memorial Hall lists him as a member of the USMC.