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theoldcoach · 07-31-2022, 09:41 AM

This is Malinda. I am a Daughter of theoldcoach. I am here to inform everyone that he passed away of natural causes two months ago. His heart just finally wore out. One of my brothers finally found his login information for several websites. Mom said that this was one of his favorites. As she is not very computer savvy, she asked me to give you all the news of his passing.

Dad was just short of 76 years old. He was a good man and a wonderful Father who taught us strong values and to manage our lives in such a way that we would be proud of our actions. One of his favorite sayings to my brothers and I was “Life isn’t fair. No one is going to give you anything. You have to earn your way in life.” It was a great lesson and although we sometimes failed, we have tried hard. Now I will tell you some things about the guy who posted here, that he probably never told you.

My Dad was a proud Marine. He served almost four years during the Vietnam Conflict with the 1st Battalion/9th Marines. They were known as The Walking Dead because during Vietnam they had the highest mortality rate in the history of the Corp, as they served mostly on or near the frontlines of any and all battles. For nearly all of Dad’s time in the country virtually all of it was spent in combat zones.

He was wounded twice. One minor and one seriously. His platoon was ambushed while on patrol near the Cambodian border. The loss rate was over 80% killed or wounded. Dad took shrapnel from a sniper bullet that struck the tree next to him, some of which remained in his body for the rest of his life. They were pinned down for nearly 8 hours until another platoon finally fought their way through to rescue the few remaining troops. He was awarded The Purple Heart.

He often wondered why he was spared while so many of his brothers in arms were lost. He said he never thought that he would ever make it out of that jungle. And he said that none of them did. He was proud of his service. But he was also haunted by it. The things that he saw and the things that he was forced to do in order to stay alive.

Some of the greatest time that my bothers and I spent with our Father was several years ago when he took Mom and us to visit Vietnam. He wanted to go back. He said, “I need to go back there. I just have to go back.” He hired a local guide to take us around. We couldn’t get back to the spot where they were ambushed as the jungle had reclaimed the land. But we could see that hill from a distance. At least he was quite sure it was the spot. The same was true for the locations of several of the firebases where he spent time. It was like they were never there. The jungle just takes over. About all that was still there was some remnants of Vanderbilt Air Base. It was all very emotional. He shed many tears that day for his friends who never came home alive. That day brought us very close to our Father. It was a difficult trip and Dad was never sure that he did the right thing by going. But I do believe that it left him with some sense of closure.

Dad was a lifelong conservative. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was an outstanding athlete in high school and had several scholarship offers in three sports. But Vietnam got in the way. He was an excellent golfer and played until his health would no longer allow it. Dad was very proud of us kids and no matter what he had to do, he never missed any of the events of our lives. He cherished our Mother and he loved her unconditionally.

Ok. That is enough and I’m sure more that he would have wanted me to tell you. But Mom wanted me to let you a little about the man that you communicated with here for several years. I will give the login information to both of my brothers and they may want to visit this forum too. I don’t know.

Anyway, thanks for your time and thanks for the enjoyment that you all gave my Father here during the last days of his life. By the way. His name was Bradley and he was an avid and lifelong Chiefs and Royals fan!

God Bless. Malinda

jdubya · 07-31-2022, 01:44 PM

Sounds like a great man. Thank you for your words and thoughts.

Chiefaholic · 07-31-2022, 01:46 PM

RIP to a fellow Chief fan. But, more importantly a great father and a true patriot who was willing to give all to the country that he loved.

warrior · 07-31-2022, 01:51 PM

My condolences to you and your family Milnda

GloryDayz · 07-31-2022, 01:57 PM

Sorry to hear it. May your father rest in peace, and yes, he was a good man. Stay strong...

scho63 · 07-31-2022, 02:04 PM

Condolences to you and your family.

**IA_Chiefs_fan** · 07-31-2022, 02:16 PM

Thank you so much to you two for letting us know. I always enjoyed his contributions here. Sorry for your loss.

stumppy · 07-31-2022, 02:20 PM

Condolences

Thanks you for posting this information.

big nasty kcnut · 07-31-2022, 03:01 PM

Semper fi the old coach and rip good sir. My your family be embraced by the lord in your time of grief while he is guided to the kingdom of heaven.

**Rain Man** · 07-31-2022, 03:43 PM

I'm sorry to hear, but I'm glad that he enjoyed coming here and hanging out with everybody.

**Rausch** · 07-31-2022, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I'm sorry to hear, but I'm glad that he enjoyed coming here and hanging out with everybody.

This. I wish you and your family the best. It's a hard time but oddly enough you'll learn a lot about the man.

I'm glad this place brought him some happiness and perhaps his passing a dab of perspective for the rest of us...

**cdcox** · 07-31-2022, 04:36 PM

Malinda, Timmy, and Gerad, so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing with us the news and a few memories about your dad.

**srvy** · 07-31-2022, 05:14 PM

RIP Oldcoach what a great man. I mostly remember his posts from the Royals Repository and some in DC. Those Nam Vets are some tuff sons of guns what a shame the treatment they got when they came home. That is for another discussion thanks for letting us know Malinda. Your father is resting in peace sharing stories with his brothers in arms that went before him.

**HayWire** · 07-31-2022, 05:22 PM

RIP, condolences

ClevelandBronco · 07-31-2022, 05:45 PM

Thanks for the back story. We clearly lost a good man. Thanks for sharing him with us.

tredadda · 07-31-2022, 06:13 PM

RIP. Thank you for sharing.

07-31-2022, 09:41 AM
theoldcoach Veteran theoldcoach's Avatar Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Missouri	Rest In Peace theoldcoach This is Malinda. I am a Daughter of theoldcoach. I am here to inform everyone that he passed away of natural causes two months ago. His heart just finally wore out. One of my brothers finally found his login information for several websites. Mom said that this was one of his favorites. As she is not very computer savvy, she asked me to give you all the news of his passing. Dad was just short of 76 years old. He was a good man and a wonderful Father who taught us strong values and to manage our lives in such a way that we would be proud of our actions. One of his favorite sayings to my brothers and I was “Life isn’t fair. No one is going to give you anything. You have to earn your way in life.” It was a great lesson and although we sometimes failed, we have tried hard. Now I will tell you some things about the guy who posted here, that he probably never told you. My Dad was a proud Marine. He served almost four years during the Vietnam Conflict with the 1st Battalion/9th Marines. They were known as The Walking Dead because during Vietnam they had the highest mortality rate in the history of the Corp, as they served mostly on or near the frontlines of any and all battles. For nearly all of Dad’s time in the country virtually all of it was spent in combat zones. He was wounded twice. One minor and one seriously. His platoon was ambushed while on patrol near the Cambodian border. The loss rate was over 80% killed or wounded. Dad took shrapnel from a sniper bullet that struck the tree next to him, some of which remained in his body for the rest of his life. They were pinned down for nearly 8 hours until another platoon finally fought their way through to rescue the few remaining troops. He was awarded The Purple Heart. He often wondered why he was spared while so many of his brothers in arms were lost. He said he never thought that he would ever make it out of that jungle. And he said that none of them did. He was proud of his service. But he was also haunted by it. The things that he saw and the things that he was forced to do in order to stay alive. Some of the greatest time that my bothers and I spent with our Father was several years ago when he took Mom and us to visit Vietnam. He wanted to go back. He said, “I need to go back there. I just have to go back.” He hired a local guide to take us around. We couldn’t get back to the spot where they were ambushed as the jungle had reclaimed the land. But we could see that hill from a distance. At least he was quite sure it was the spot. The same was true for the locations of several of the firebases where he spent time. It was like they were never there. The jungle just takes over. About all that was still there was some remnants of Vanderbilt Air Base. It was all very emotional. He shed many tears that day for his friends who never came home alive. That day brought us very close to our Father. It was a difficult trip and Dad was never sure that he did the right thing by going. But I do believe that it left him with some sense of closure. Dad was a lifelong conservative. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was an outstanding athlete in high school and had several scholarship offers in three sports. But Vietnam got in the way. He was an excellent golfer and played until his health would no longer allow it. Dad was very proud of us kids and no matter what he had to do, he never missed any of the events of our lives. He cherished our Mother and he loved her unconditionally. Ok. That is enough and I’m sure more that he would have wanted me to tell you. But Mom wanted me to let you a little about the man that you communicated with here for several years. I will give the login information to both of my brothers and they may want to visit this forum too. I don’t know. Anyway, thanks for your time and thanks for the enjoyment that you all gave my Father here during the last days of his life. By the way. His name was Bradley and he was an avid and lifelong Chiefs and Royals fan! God Bless. Malinda
Posts: 2,633

07-31-2022, 01:44 PM	#46
jdubya MVP jdubya's Avatar Join Date: Jan 2012	Sounds like a great man. Thank you for your words and thoughts.
Posts: 6,181

07-31-2022, 01:46 PM	#47
Chiefaholic Veteran Chiefaholic's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2000	RIP to a fellow Chief fan. But, more importantly a great father and a true patriot who was willing to give all to the country that he loved.
Posts: 4,687

07-31-2022, 01:51 PM	#48
warrior Veteran warrior's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: On the road again	My condolences to you and your family Milnda
Posts: 4,300

07-31-2022, 01:57 PM	#49
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) GloryDayz's Avatar Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving	Sorry to hear it. May your father rest in peace, and yes, he was a good man. Stay strong...
Posts: 119,095

07-31-2022, 02:04 PM	#50
scho63 Politically Incorrect scho63's Avatar Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ	Condolences to you and your family.
Posts: 52,652

07-31-2022, 02:16 PM	#51
IA_Chiefs_fan Supporter IA_Chiefs_fan's Avatar Join Date: Jun 2002	Thank you so much to you two for letting us know. I always enjoyed his contributions here. Sorry for your loss.
Posts: 2,076

07-31-2022, 02:20 PM	#52
stumppy New and Improved stumppy's Avatar Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Springfield, Mo.	Condolences Thanks you for posting this information.
Posts: 21,980

07-31-2022, 03:01 PM	#53
big nasty kcnut The pizza king of kansas big nasty kcnut's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Somewhere in the u.s.a.	Semper fi the old coach and rip good sir. My your family be embraced by the lord in your time of grief while he is guided to the kingdom of heaven.
Posts: 19,105	1 0

07-31-2022, 03:43 PM	#54
Rain Man Seize life. Be an ermine. Rain Man's Avatar Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house	I'm sorry to hear, but I'm glad that he enjoyed coming here and hanging out with everybody.
Posts: 143,119

07-31-2022, 04:36 PM	#56
cdcox www.nfl-forecast.com cdcox's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2000	Malinda, Timmy, and Gerad, so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing with us the news and a few memories about your dad.
Posts: 45,717

07-31-2022, 05:14 PM	#57
srvy Fight, build, win! srvy's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: KC	RIP Oldcoach what a great man. I mostly remember his posts from the Royals Repository and some in DC. Those Nam Vets are some tuff sons of guns what a shame the treatment they got when they came home. That is for another discussion thanks for letting us know Malinda. Your father is resting in peace sharing stories with his brothers in arms that went before him.
Posts: 25,256	1 0

07-31-2022, 05:22 PM	#58
HayWire Retired Bearcat HayWire's Avatar Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: SWMO	RIP, condolences
Posts: 7,587

07-31-2022, 05:45 PM	#59
ClevelandBronco I'm with the banned. ClevelandBronco's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2006	Thanks for the back story. We clearly lost a good man. Thanks for sharing him with us.
Posts: 28,113

07-31-2022, 06:13 PM	#60
tredadda Three-Pat tredadda's Avatar Join Date: May 2011 Location: Colorado Springs	RIP. Thank you for sharing.
Posts: 18,243