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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

ToxSocks · 08-01-2022, 10:30 AM

Damn. RIP Oldcoach. CP loses another brother.

**Old Dog** · 08-01-2022, 10:57 AM

Condolences

**Iowanian** · 08-01-2022, 11:55 AM

I'm sorry to hear about your loss.

He was always a reasonable guy from what I read here, and that's a claim that can't be made by everyone.

T-post Tom · 08-01-2022, 12:26 PM

RIP. Good man. Condolences to your family and all the people that loved him.

InChiefsHeaven · 08-01-2022, 12:43 PM

What a beautiful tribute. Thanks for coming on and filling us in. Your father sounds like a truly great American. God Bless you all!

**morphius** · 08-01-2022, 02:02 PM

Thank you both for the letting us know, and sharing some stories of your father. Great seeing that you all seem to care for him as much as it sounded he cared for you. It feels a bit late, but I know these things can take a while to heal, so please know that your family is in my prayers.

**FRCDFED** · 08-01-2022, 03:05 PM

God bless his family and friends! May he RIP!

carlos3652 · 08-01-2022, 06:40 PM

RIP - Condolences and thank you for sharing!

Jet Chip Wasp · 08-01-2022, 06:41 PM

Very sad news. He was a nice, intelligent person who lived a full life and served proudly in the Armed Forces.

May he rest in peace.

Al Czervik · 08-01-2022, 10:32 PM

I always enjoyed his posts.
RIP Coach and Thank you for your service!!!

Fish · 08-01-2022, 11:02 PM

Condolences. He was a great guy. Rest in peace, sir. See you on the other side.

shakesthecat · 08-02-2022, 07:03 AM

Thanks for sharing, Malinda

RIP, theoldcoach

DJJasonp · 08-02-2022, 07:49 AM

RIP

Thanks for sharing. They don’t make many men these days like your father.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

tx4chiefs · 08-02-2022, 08:14 AM

Sorry for your loss. RIP.

sully1983 · 08-02-2022, 08:38 AM

So sorry for your family's loss. May your dad rest in peace.

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

08-01-2022, 10:30 AM	#76
ToxSocks Needs more middle fingers ToxSocks's Avatar Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego	Damn. RIP Oldcoach. CP loses another brother.
Posts: 65,878

08-01-2022, 10:57 AM	#77
Old Dog Supporter Old Dog's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Central Kansas	Condolences
Posts: 10,757

08-01-2022, 11:55 AM	#78
Iowanian Supporter Iowanian's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Utopia	I'm sorry to hear about your loss. He was always a reasonable guy from what I read here, and that's a claim that can't be made by everyone.
Posts: 62,479

08-01-2022, 12:26 PM	#79
T-post Tom Threepeat! T-post Tom's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Milk/Honey/Gazland	RIP. Good man. Condolences to your family and all the people that loved him.
Posts: 21,205

08-01-2022, 12:43 PM	#80
InChiefsHeaven Rockin' yer FACE OFF! InChiefsHeaven's Avatar Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Omaha, Nebraska	What a beautiful tribute. Thanks for coming on and filling us in. Your father sounds like a truly great American. God Bless you all!
Posts: 26,591	1 0

08-01-2022, 02:02 PM	#81
morphius World's finest morphius morphius's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2000	Thank you both for the letting us know, and sharing some stories of your father. Great seeing that you all seem to care for him as much as it sounded he cared for you. It feels a bit late, but I know these things can take a while to heal, so please know that your family is in my prayers.
Posts: 26,006	1 0

08-01-2022, 03:05 PM	#82
FRCDFED Line'em up FRCDFED's Avatar Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: somewhere out there	God bless his family and friends! May he RIP!
Posts: 3,187

08-01-2022, 06:40 PM	#83
carlos3652 El Diablo Join Date: Dec 2004	RIP - Condolences and thank you for sharing!
Posts: 6,097

08-01-2022, 06:41 PM	#84
Jet Chip Wasp Eat Your Heart Jet Chip Wasp's Avatar Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: In Your Head	Very sad news. He was a nice, intelligent person who lived a full life and served proudly in the Armed Forces. May he rest in peace.
Posts: 717

08-01-2022, 10:32 PM	#85
Al Czervik Veteran Al Czervik's Avatar Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Shawnee, KS.	I always enjoyed his posts. RIP Coach and Thank you for your service!!!
Posts: 4,161

08-01-2022, 11:02 PM	#86
Fish Ain't no relax! Fish's Avatar Join Date: Sep 2005	Condolences. He was a great guy. Rest in peace, sir. See you on the other side.
Posts: 48,456

08-02-2022, 07:03 AM	#87
shakesthecat Veteran Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: IA	Thanks for sharing, Malinda RIP, theoldcoach
Posts: 3,358

08-02-2022, 07:49 AM	#88
DJJasonp My work speaks for itself!!! DJJasonp's Avatar Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: So Cal	RIP Thanks for sharing. They don’t make many men these days like your father. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Posts: 13,256

08-02-2022, 08:14 AM	#89
tx4chiefs Starter tx4chiefs's Avatar Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Texas	Sorry for your loss. RIP.
Posts: 468

08-02-2022, 08:38 AM	#90
sully1983 Veteran sully1983's Avatar Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Baka Laka Daka street	So sorry for your family's loss. May your dad rest in peace.
Posts: 2,682