Wilbert Adam ""Will"" Bradell

Will Bradell was born to parents Howard Bradell and Bertha (Horn) in Des Plaines Illinois during the great Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 that went on to kill millions. His birth 100 years ago would lead to an extraordinary life of adventures that would take him around the world.

Will Bradell along with his parents survived the world wide flu epidemic but his mother would soon contract ""consumption"" (Tuberculosis) in the early 1930s. The favored treatment for tuberculosis at the time was fresh air in locales such as Colorado or Arizona. The Bradell family packed up and moved to Denver Colorado so that Will's mother could enter a tuberculosis sanitarium along Federal boulevard. Will's mother would not survive the tuberculosis and she died in 1935 at age 45. Will along with his sisters Katherine, Elizabeth and brother Carl elected to stay in Denver/Evergreen. Will would attend and graduate from present day Denver South High. It was during his high school years he came to know his future wife Charline Ewy, daughter of Gates Rubber executive Waldo (Duke) Ewy and his wife Marguerite (Purvis). The Ewy family members (Duke, Marguerite, Howard, Charline and Rodger) would become Will's second family and benefactor during those hard times.

Will's grandfather had died just one year after his birth (1919) but his grandmother would live until 1943 and both were buried at St Johannes German immigrant cemetery (consecrated in 1849) on the grounds of the now Chicago O'Hare (ORD) airport. The gravestones were visible from the ORD terminal building. The family farm in Orchard Place (for which the original name of the Chicago Airport is named for ""Orchard Air-Field - ORD"" had been taken by the government years earlier to build the massive airport and by 2012 the city of Chicago also condemned the family cemetery through eminent domain and removed all the buried Bradell relatives to make way for a concrete aircraft taxiway next to runway 9R27L.

The great economic worldwide depression raged on in the 1930s but Will, working at various jobs including the Gates Rubber company was able to save his meager earnings to purchase his prized 1939 teak red Harley Davidson motorcycle with springer front end and leather saddle bags. He became the hit of the neighborhood and was a founding member of the Mile Hi Motorcycle Club of Denver.

The country's overall economic conditions did not improve and Will Bradell was forced to sell his beloved Harley motorcycle and in order to survive, he joined the US Navy prior to World War II. After joining the Navy, Will Bradell was assigned to the infamous flagship USS (Heavy Cruiser) Indianapolis based at Pearl Harbor Hawaii. On December 6, 1941 the USS Indianapolis was ordered to steam out of Pearl Harbor just hours ahead of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that would ultimately lead to the United States involvement of World War II. Japanese war planners had been advised that the Indianapolis was at its mooring in Pearl Harbor and were dismayed that the USS Indianapolis had somehow evaded their sneak attack by sailing out of the harbor just hours ahead of their bombers. Will Bradell, aboard the Indianapolis was enroute to Johnson Atoll (just southeast of the Hawaiian Islands) when the word came that that Hawaii was under attack. The USS Indianapolis was then ordered to seek out the Japanese strike force and engage them in battle. The crew of the USS Indianapolis pursued the Japanese strike force to no avail and returned to the devastated Pearl Harbor on December 12, 1941. It was a somber chaotic sight with the pride of the United States Navy along with their crews (2,335 military personnel died) devastated by the Japanese bombing. The United States Navy got to work quickly and was able to salvage some of the ships sunk at in the harbor and worked quickly to remove the ships deemed a complete loss. The Indianapolis was then quickly pressed into to service to join a task force in the South Pacific escorting the aircraft carrier Lexington in Rabaul New Britain, Lae New Guinea and Australia. The USS Indianapolis then moved up to the Alaskan Aleutian Islands to engage the Japanese forces on Kiska Island and to prepare for US forces to occupy Adak Island. The Indianapolis was able to evade Japanese submarine attacks during the Alaskan engagement by launching their depth charges.

Will was now a seasoned sailor having done battle from the steamy South Pacific to the great cold north of the Aleutians. Will was then tapped as a Quarter Master First Class to crew the brand new aircraft carrier USS Barnes in January 1943. The USS Barnes would then embark on missions to Noumea New Caledonia, Espiritu Santo, Brisbane Australia, the Gilbert Islands, invasions of Tarawa, New Hebrides, Majuro, Manus, Ulithi, battle for Manila Philippines, Saipan and Guam engagements, along with the deadly Pelilu Palau invasion. The USS Barnes carried a formidable force of P38 Lightings, P47 Thunderbolts and F6F-3 Hellcats aircraft. The USS Barnes was awarded three battle stars for its involvement in WWII.

Will's father Howard Joseph Bradell died (Denver) in November of 1944 (age 53). Due to the raging war in the Pacific, Will was not allowed to return for his father's funeral. He is buried at Crown Hill cemetery in Wheatridge Colorado.

The atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima Japan (August 6, 1945) that lead to Japan's surrender had been delivered by Will Bradell's previous ship the USS Indianapolis to the island of Tinian (northern Marianas) and loaded onto the B29 Super fortress aircraft named the Enola Gay. Unfortunately the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese sub on its return from Tinian and 800 lives were lost in these last days of the war.

Will's ship the USS Barnes had been enroute back to Guam and Saipan when the Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945 and their primary mission now changed. They were then directed by Military Intelligence to sail into Tokyo bay (Yokosuka) and retrieve 145 captured Japanese aircraft to be transported back to the east coast via the Panama Canal. These captured Japanese aircraft were to be ""reverse engineered' by military experts to glean any technological advancement. Some of these captured aircraft are now on display at the Smithsonian Udvar Hazy Air and Space museum and the National Museum of Naval History. Will Bradell did find time to in Japan to venture into the war torn Ginza district of Tokyo to buy his girlfriend and future wife Charline Ewy a set of Japanese tea cups. He remarked it was quite the strange adventure. He was awestruck by the devastation and the remarkable ability to still purchase this small gift in downtown Tokyo soon after the Japanese had just surrendered. The sailors of the USS Barnes raided a nearby arms depot at Yokosuka and retrieved Type 99 Arisaka Japanese rifles (from the Nagoya Arsenal) with attached bayonets from the Mukden Arsenal (occupied Manchuria) as war souvenirs. Will brought this Japanese rifle back with him to the delight of his kids who ""played army"" with it (minus the firing pin and bayonet!) during their childhood.

After the war when thousands of Navy, Army, and Marines enlisted men were ""redeployed"" to the civilian ranks, Will Bradell was asked to remain in the US Navy. His skills as a naval navigator on the ship bridge were still very much in need in the post war. Will Bradell returned in 1946 to the port of Boston where he and Charline Ewy would be married. Will had sent monies ahead to Charline in Denver to purchase a wedding ring of her choice along with instructions to take the next train to Boston where he would marry her in the Old South Boston Church on August 19, 1946. Four children would follow, Eric (born in Denver), Rodger and Leigh (born in New Orleans) and Marc (born in Newport R.I.)

The world after World War II did not stay peaceful for long. Will Bradell now onboard the USS Bausell (Gearing Class Destroyer) was tasked with navigating the length and breadth of the Yellow Sea off the coast of China. The new post war United States naval mission was to protect and escort the American shipping in and out of China. Ports visited by the USS Bausell during this time included Tsingtao (Qingdao) and Shanghai. When the USS Bausell was tied up in the Chinese port of Tsingtao in late 1948 (before the Communist Chinese would shortly force the US Naval ships out of China), Will saw his chance to visit Peking (Beijing) before the communists would overrun the capital. He hitched a ride with some Marines that were enroute to Tientsin Base which was southeast of Peking (Beijing). From Tientsin, Will would make his way back to the Chinese capital where he toured the Forbidden City, parts of Peking (Beijing) and purchased some Chinese dolls for his wife Charline. It was here he would take his first and only ride on a camel! Will also took advantage of the lack of security in the capital Forbidden City to perch himself on the Golden Throne of the Chinese Emperors and have his photograph taken by an amused local. The fighting between the Nationalist Chinese and the Chinese Communists was reaching a violent crescendo and shortly after Will's ""tourist"" visit, the capital Peking Beijing along with the rest of the country would fall to Mao Zedong and the communists. Will escaped Peking (Beijing) unscathed and made his way back to port of Tsingtao (Qingdao) where the USS Bausell departed quickly for San Diego in November of 1948.

The takeover of China by Mao's communists was shortly followed by the North Korean invasion (assisted by the Chinese) of South Korea in 1950. For the next three years the USS Bausell would continue its mission in the Korean War, but by now Will Bradell was luckily transferred off the USS Bausell. He would spend the majority of the 1950s in the Mediterranean Sea visiting all the major ports of Europe/Turkey. His favorite ports being Lisbon Portugal and Ephesus Turkey in the Izmir Province where he would participate in wild boar hunts with Turkish officers... always a highlight!

During the 1950s Will also was tasked with a shore duty assignment that had him teaching celestial navigation to enlisted men and NROTC students at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wife Charline would give birth to two children, Rodger and Leigh while they resided in Metairie Louisiana. Will and the family then were transferred up to the naval base in Newport, Rhode Island. They bought a new house there and son Marc was born in Newport in 1954. After Newport R.I. Will was asked to be a Navy Recruiter in Dalhart Texas. This recruitment assignment did not last long since his wife quickly tired of Dalhart Texas and wanted to move the family back to Denver Colorado. So in 1960 Will retired from military service the family returned to Denver and set up home on Monroe Street where he lived the rest of his life.

Will Bradell, upon retirement from the US Navy as a Chief Quartermaster was designated a decorated veteran of three wars: WWII, Korea and Vietnam. In his naval career Will Bradell would end up serving on the following naval vessels: USS Indianapolis, Barnes, Savo Island, Turner, K.D. Bailey and the Bausell.

Will would take a job in Denver in 1961 with the Post Office as a letter carrier and would go on to retire a second time in 1983 from that career with his final walking postal route in the Denver University area. In the interim Will would raise his kids to enjoy the outdoors taking them on camping and hiking trips tackling Pikes Peak, Grays Peak and Torreys Peak among others. He particularly (for some reason) liked winter camping and as Scoutmaster of Troop 242 at Washington Park Methodist Church he led many scout camping excursions in the dead of winter (as well as summer). He felt it necessary that youths learn self-sufficiency and the ability to survive in the wild with minimal supplies. Will insured his sons and daughter attended every Colorado camp there was....Camp Tahosa, Philmont, and Washington Park Methodist Church Rosalie camp, Flying G, Camp Tomahawk, and Id Ra Ha Je. His kids would go on to be Eagle scouts, Order of the Arrow and champion Girl Scout cookie salesmen. Will and his family would also spend many fun summers at the family cabin in Palmer Lake Colorado hiking Mount Chautauqua and Elephant Rock. Will also enjoyed visiting his sisters Elizabeth Bradell and Katherine Jenson (husband Robert [Bob]) ""way up"" in Evergreen along her three kids John, Pat and Carl who always had something fun going on. His brother Carl (wife Betsy) also remained in Colorado and with his kids, Jed, Becky and Kip he truly had a large loving extended family. In 1981 / 1985 Will and Charline became proud grandparents of two boys, Adam and Kyle born to Rodger and Donna Bradell of Hudsonville, Michigan.

After retirement from the Post Office, Will became quite the wood worker and built a wood shop in his back yard where he would turn out everything from roll top desks to wooden model airplanes. He had some rough health scares along the way with colon cancer and a stroke but he kept on plugging away. He and his wife would take a yearly month long vacations to Hawaii where they would set up camp at the beautiful military hotel Hale Koa in Honolulu with side stays at the KMC (Kilauea) military camp in Volcano National Park on the big island. Will and Charline would also rent apartments in London and Paris to truly experience the histories of those locales.

Will would tragically lose his wife Charline (Charney) in November of 2002 due to heart failure. Not too long after that his daughter Leigh moved in with Will for the last 14 years.

In 2010, Will was awarded by his ""Masonic Lodge Most Worshipful Master officer"" the longest serving member title of the Masonic Lodge number 5, Denver's oldest Masonic lodge located on 16^th and Welton. Will had been a Masonic member for over 70 years.

Will along with his fitness cohort and brother-in-law Howard Ewy were quite the fixture at the local Denver Cook Park recreation center where they would lift weights on a weekly basis. This activity of course was followed up by a plate of donuts to counteract all that physical exertion! Rodger Ewy (brother-in-law, photographer extraordinaire and world traveler) would become a lifelong friend from Will's days of youth to Will's death. They enjoyed many adventures together.

On August 5^th of 2018, Will celebrated his 100th birthday with a multitude of friends, neighbors and family. He truly enjoyed sharing this great milestone with all.

Preceding Will's death were his siblings: Carl Howard Bradell (1917-1999), Katherine Bertha Bradell, (1915-2010), Elizabeth Augusta Bradell (1913-2003), Helen Frances Bradell (1925-2007).

Will Bradell will be interred at Fort Logan military cemetery alongside his beloved wife Charline.

Committal Service: February 19, 2019 2:15 pm - 2:45 pm

Fort Logan National Cemetery
3698 South Sheridan Boulevard
Denver, CO 80236
(303) 761-0117
https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ftlogan.asp