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  Report: Charles Brady (STS-78 MS) dies

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Author Topic:   Report: Charles Brady (STS-78 MS) dies
Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-27-2006 12:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From the American Radio Relay League:
quote:
Retired space shuttle astronaut and DXer Chuck Brady, N4BQW, of Oak Harbor, Washington, died July 23 following a lengthy illness. He was 54. During his years as an active astronaut in the 1990s, Brady was among the pioneers of SAREX (Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment). An ARRL member, he was active on ham radio during the 16-day STS-78 shuttle mission in 1996, then the longest ever. In 1997 he became NASA's chief for space station astronaut training. ARRL Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program liaison Rosalie White, K1STO, says Brady was a radio amateur long before he took part in SAREX.
Read the ARRL's obituary here.

Brady's NASA biography is available here.

STS-78 astronaut Charles Brady, 54, dies

quote:
A retired NASA astronaut whose first and only space flight set a duration record for the space shuttle, has died. Charles Brady was 54 when he passed away on July 23. Physician, Navy captain and amateur radio enthusiast, Brady flew on STS-78 in 1996.
Read the collectSPACE article here.

East-Frisian
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From: Germany
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posted 07-27-2006 02:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for East-Frisian     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That are really sad news. RIP

The Eastfrisian

KSCartist
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From: Titusville, FL USA
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posted 07-27-2006 06:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for KSCartist   Click Here to Email KSCartist     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I remember that during STS-78 he was awarded his silver Eagles pins as Captain, (equal to Colonel in the Army or Air Force).

Its sad when someone dies way before they should. My prayers go to his family and friends.

Tim

LT Scott Schneeweis
unregistered
posted 07-28-2006 06:54 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There's a report circulating in North Carolina open press that Brady killed himself...

------------------
Scott Schneeweis

URL http://www.SPACEAHOLIC.com/

Rodina
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Posts: 836
From: Lafayette, CA
Registered: Oct 2001

posted 07-28-2006 09:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rodina     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by LT Scott Schneeweis:
There's a report circulating in North Carolina open press that Brady killed himself...


Yah, well, mental illness doesn't discriminate. If that's the case, I hope he found the peace that alluded him here.

kyra
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From: Louisville CO US
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 07-28-2006 09:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for kyra   Click Here to Email kyra     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have not seen that article. However depression can be a prolonged illness..

No matter what the facts are, my prayers with Astronaut Brady's family and friends. A loss to the nation....RIP

LT Scott Schneeweis
unregistered
posted 07-28-2006 10:22 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Article from "The Pilot"
quote:
Astronaut Brady's Death Stuns Area

Astronaut Charles E. Brady, formerly of Robbins, is dead at 54.

His home town is in mourning over the loss of one of its most illustrious sons: an Eagle Scout, an athlete, a doctor, a Blue Angel, and a space traveler. A huge mural depicting Brady and the Space Shuttle Columbia overlooks the railroad across from the Old Elise Depot and the town hall.

Now the town is puzzled and saddened by reports of the circumstances of his death.

According to Chuck McCarty, a dispatcher with the Sheriff's Office in San Juan County, Wash., Brady died of apparently self-inflicted wounds.


Read the complete article here.

kyra
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From: Louisville CO US
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posted 07-29-2006 06:18 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for kyra   Click Here to Email kyra     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks Scott for the link. I just have this sinking feeling that this story has only started. This is really horrible.

His latest cause was the environment. Many of our former space travellers have put forth this as a key issue. Right off the coast from Dr. Brady, clams and other sea life are washing up on the shore (deoxygenated waters) and this latest record heat wave could also be a warning ! To honor those we have lost, each other, and the future, I'm going to redirect some of this grief to something pro-active or productive.

East-Frisian
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Posts: 586
From: Germany
Registered: Apr 2005

posted 07-29-2006 02:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for East-Frisian     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Some random thoughts. When Chuck Brady left NASA, it was a little bit different than by other astronauts. First it was said, that he left NASA at the beginning of 2001 (not official), later on it was August 2001 (official). The next point is, that I have never seen his name since then actually, for example as astronaut encounter, on signing shows and so on. Could it be, that he was already ill, when he left NASA or, he became ill, when NASA let him fall (leaving) like a hot potato?

There are a few other astronauts from whom I never heard later on (in Germany, that be be logical), like Joe Edwards, Bill Gregory, Blaine Hammond. It seems, that some astronauts, when they quit their job, won't not have to do longer with NASA. But maybe, I'm wrong.

One small footnote: Chuck Brady was the first of astronaut group 14, who lost his life.

The East-Frisian

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
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posted 07-29-2006 02:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by East-Frisian:
There are a few other astronauts from whom I never heard later on (in Germany, that be be logical), like Joe Edwards, Bill Gregory, Blaine Hammond.
Edwards appeared at the 2002 UACC Autograph Show, among other sightings. He raised nearly $500,000 in immediate financial support for the Columbia families after the loss of the orbiter and is currently completing a book on his flying experiences.

Gregory still works in the aerospace industry, and was Honeywell's spokesperson when the orbiter's glass cockpit was debuted.

Hammond has appeared on the sightings calendar in the past and, I believe, still works for Gulfstream.

Brady was apparently active in amateur radio activities since his departure from NASA, and traveled on several expeditions with those in the avocation.

chappy
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From: Cardiff, S. Wales, UK
Registered: Apr 2006

posted 07-29-2006 07:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for chappy   Click Here to Email chappy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My sympathy goes to the late C. Brady's family and he is gone but not forgotten by the space buffs and rest in peace, Charles Brady. It is a sad loss to hear this terrible news of C. Brady.

Glint
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From: New Windsor, Maryland USA
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posted 07-29-2006 11:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Glint   Click Here to Email Glint     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by LT Scott Schneeweis:
There's a report circulating in North Carolina open press that Brady killed himself...

Scott, here's another link stating that Brady died from "self-inflicted wounds":
http://oldclass.thepilot.com/brady.html

It also mentions that Brady "carried on a daily battle against the pain of arthritis."

Robert Pearlman
Editor

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From: Houston, TX
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posted 07-30-2006 02:29 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The same article from The Pilot linked to above by Glint also mentions:
quote:
Brady was laid to rest at Prosperity Friends Church near his father Friday in a private service. A memorial with full military honors will be held at a future date on Whidbey Island. Wash. Brady had returned to service as a flight surgeon at Whidbey Naval Air Station after leaving NASA. He spent his final tour of duty at National Navy Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., and retired from service in March.

Danno
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From: Ridgecrest, CA - USA
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posted 07-31-2006 12:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Danno     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Florida Today:
Astronaut Brady dies in apparent suicide
quote:
According to published reports, Brady died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the woods surrounding his home on Orcas Island in Washington state following an argument with his fiancee.

Brett
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posted 08-03-2006 01:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Brett   Click Here to Email Brett     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I know that this website is generally a "happy" website so people might be really hesitant to discuss the taboo subject of suicide. But suicide really hurts those around the victim, more than words can describe. I never met Dr. Brady and I was very saddened to hear about what happened. I cannot imagine what his family (especially what his 4 year old son is going through). Sometimes, life can really suck. Unfair treatment at the workplace, a rough family life, illness are all things that many of us can relate to. Some of us can relate to all of these things at the same time. But, please remember that suicide in never the answer. If you are having problems, please speak to a trusted friend, a minister, rabbi or other clergy or even a psychologist/ psychiatrist. Maybe even someone you have met on collectspace. You might not be able to solve all of your problems in an instant, but your life is precious. Besides, none of your friends or family (no matter how bad) should have to deal with a suicide. Please, take care of yourself.

Scott
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posted 08-03-2006 05:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Scott   Click Here to Email Scott     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What a wonderful post, Brett.

Sad news. RIP

FutureAstronaut
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posted 08-03-2006 05:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for FutureAstronaut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Could not have said it better myself Brett.

I wish someone got to Mr. Brady before it was too late.

------------------
Mike

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-04-2006 08:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From The Pilot:
quote:
Brady Friend: Bureaucracy 'Broke His Great Spirit'

Navy bureaucratic bullying is what really killed Astronaut Charles Brady, a Navy doctor and close friend alleges.

Brady, a Robbins native whose Astronaut image on a downtown mural dominates the center of his northern Moore County hometown, died July 23 of knife wounds investigators described as "apparently self-inflicted."

Dr. Ed Drum, a retired Navy captain and flight surgeon, blames Navy medicine and its "bottom-line thinking" for contributing to a depression leading to a single impulsive act that took his friend's life.

"They ate him alive," Drum said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "They thrust him into a political quagmire. He was in constant pain from osteoarthritis, needed a hip replacement. A week before the operation, they refused to approve it."


Continue reading the article here.

cspg
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From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 08-04-2006 10:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Brett:
I know that this website is generally a "happy" website so people might be really hesitant to discuss the taboo subject of suicide. But suicide really hurts those around the victim, more than words can describe.
Suicide hurts those around the victim... The loss of a loved one sure can only hurts. But in every story I've read about people who have taken their own lives, no one mentions the pain they were in- and most importantly the magnitude of this pain (mental/physical). Such pain is beyond the understanding of those who haven't gone through such similar pain and suffering. Suicide is not the answer? Who are we to say so? We don't know anything about Mr Brady's personal life and associated suffering but it must have reached an unbearable point that "leaving this world" was the only way out. I can only respect that. And suicide is not an act of selfishness as I have so oftenly heard. Death is one of your Western societies' taboo topics: death in unacceptable,yet it's inevitable. I don't see anything wrong about choosing the time and place to go, rather let Mother Nature (or the doctors) say "time's up".

May Mr. Brady be in a peaceful and painless place.

Chris.

mark plas
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posted 08-06-2006 08:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for mark plas   Click Here to Email mark plas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Last January, my sister of 32 committed suicide. Never saw it coming and that feeling makes you crazy if I only paid closer attention maybe I could have seen some signs. I respect someone's own decision to end their life but can you really speak of one's own decision.

cspg
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Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006

posted 08-06-2006 08:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mark, I'm sorry about your loss. I can only sympathize with you and offer my moral support.

My sister's boyfriend killed himself when she was 17 (same day my grandmother died). Nobody saw it coming and if some may have known that something was "wrong", surely nobody expected such tragic outcome. It took about 20 years for my sister to put this tragedy behind her, with depression, psychiatrists,feeling guilty etc.. But he was not a member of my family, so what you're going through is even harder to deal with.

Chris.

LT Scott Schneeweis
unregistered
posted 08-06-2006 02:15 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Brady Friend: Bureaucracy 'Broke His Great Spirit'

Navy bureaucratic bullying is what really killed Astronaut Charles Brady, a Navy doctor and close friend alleges.

Brady, a Robbins native whose Astronaut image on a downtown mural dominates the center of his northern Moore County hometown, died July 23 of knife wounds investigators described as "apparently self-inflicted."

Dr. Ed Drum, a retired Navy captain and flight surgeon, blames Navy medicine and its "bottom-line thinking" for contributing to a depression leading to a single impulsive act that took his friend's life.

"They ate him alive," Drum said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "They thrust him into a political quagmire. He was in constant pain from osteoarthritis, needed a hip replacement. A week before the operation, they refused to approve it."


Dr. Drum's position that Capt. Brady's case should have been referred to Admirals vice Capt's mast solely because of his pay grade is incorrect... Capt. Brady's commanding officer (the Hosptial C.O.) holds Article 15 (NJP) authority as his superior officer. It will be interesting to hear the Navy's side of the story...

------------------
Scott Schneeweis

URL http://www.SPACEAHOLIC.com/

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