Patrick H. Brady

Patrick H. Brady was born on October 1, 1936, in Philip, South Dakota. The family moved to Washington State during his childhood. He was from a large Irish Catholic family. He attended O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington, described as an all-boys school run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. This Irish order believed in strong discipline and academic achievement. A lackluster student in high school, but on two occasions, he rescued friends from danger (a climbing accident and a near-drowning incident), foreshadowing his future.

Brady enrolled at Seattle University (in Seattle). He graduated in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Seattle University. He also later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Notre Dame between 1970 and 1972.

While at Seattle University, he initially disliked the compulsory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program and was kicked out. He later rejoined the program because he anticipated being drafted and wanted to enter as an officer. After junior year, he married Nancy Parsek, a fellow student, and turned his senior year into a year of academic and extracurricular excellence.

He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps on March 20, 1959. He entered active duty and began his Army career in West Berlin (Germany) with the 6th Infantry Brigade (September 1959-August 1961) and various assignments, including Motor Pool Officer and detachment command within the 279th Station Hospital in West Berlin. None of those initial assignments was glamorous or suggested valor.

The Army had a need for helicopter pilots in Vietnam and was retooling interested officers. Brady trained as a helicopter pilot at the U.S. Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker (Alabama), earning his wings in December 1963. He served two tours in the Vietnam War as a “Dustoff” (medevac helicopter) pilot: first tour January 1964-1965 with the 57th Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) and second tour 1967-68 with the 54th Medical Detachment.

On January 6, 1968, near Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam, he volunteered to fly into extremely hazardous conditions and evacuated 51 wounded soldiers in one day, actions for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

He flew over 2,000 combat missions and evacuated more than 5,000 wounded during his Vietnam tours. He retired from the U.S. Army on September 1, 1993, having the rank of two-star Major General.

Patrick H. Brady received the Medal of Honor from President Richard Nixon during a ceremony at the White House on October 9, 1969.

Beyond Service

He married Nancy Lee Parsek, his high school sweetheart from Seattle; and, like traditional Irish Catholics, they had six children. One of his children, Meghan, served as an officer in the Medical Service Corps (with duty in Kosovo and the 1991 Iraq War) and helped co-author a book of Brady’s exploits, Dead Men Flying: Victory in Viet Nam The Legend of Dust Off: America’s Battlefield Angels.

After his military career, Brady remained active in veterans’ affairs and public service. For example, he served as chairman of the Citizens Flag Alliance (a coalition of organizations determined to protect the American flag from physical desecration); was a commissioner of ,the American Battle Monuments Commission and president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. He has been inducted into the Dustoff Association Hall of Fame (17 February 2001) and the National Aviation Hall of Fame (2013).