'The soul of a real American hero'

'The soul of a real American hero'
Hundreds gather at funeral for Steilacoom man

MIKE ARCHBOLD; The News Tribune
Published: 07/07/09

The more than 600 people who gathered Monday to celebrate the war-shortened life of Lt. Brian N. Bradshaw heard in his own words the secret of a life well-lived.

“Service (to others) is the foundation of life,” Bradshaw wrote in a paper read at the celebration at St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Lakewood. He had written it as a junior at Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma.

“Without service our lives have the same impact and meaning as a stick lying on the ground. No one remembers the sticks stepped on in the woods, but everyone remembers the flowers ... If we serve and work throughout our lives, we will be the flowers that everyone remembers.”

The 24-year-old U.S. Army first lieutenant from Steilacoom died June 25 of wounds suffered in Kheyl, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device exploded near him.

He was the first Pierce County service member to die in Afghanistan in more than a year. He was also the first member of his unit – 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team – to die there since the unit was deployed in February.
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