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AUGUSTA, Georgia (WJBF) – Each month, the WJBF honors a local veteran who continues to make a difference in our community with the “Salute To Service†award. The November 2021 winner is Dr. James Brady, former US Army captain and former US Navy.
“The greatest honor of my life has been serving in the US Marine Corps. and the United States military, â€Brady said.
Brady spent 24 years serving our nation, carrying on a family tradition that dates back to the War of Independence.
“I remember I was about 12 years old, we went to a Veterans Day parade downtown and we ran into a man who was quadriplegic,†Brady recalls. “He was sitting in a wheelchair and my mother said to my two brothers and I, ‘You should thank him for his service.’ “
It was this chance encounter that would ultimately lead to Augusta’s lasting tribute to Vietnam veterans.
“I said, and again, Mom had coached us, ‘We’re not going to forget your service. Brady said. “And he looked at me with a tear in his eye and said, ‘Once again, be blessed, but many of us have already been forgotten. “So I made a commitment at the age of 12 that if I ever had the chance to help recognize Vietnam’s veterans, I would.
John: His military career eventually brought him to Fort Gordon. He met his wife, former Dawn Langley, in Augusta and decided to settle here.
“One day he said, ‘We don’t have a Vietnam memorial in Augusta,’ and I said, ‘No, we don’t. “said retired Lt. Col. Sam Booher, who serves with Brady in the Military Order of World Wars (MOWW) and the Association of Military Officers of America (MOAA).” He said: ‘Let’s build one.’ And I said: ‘Okay, we’ll help you’ â€.
Dr. Brady embarked on a five-year journey that included countless hours of calls, meetings and raised nearly $ 120,000. Then, in March 2019, the Augusta Vietnam War Memorial was officially opened on Broad Street.
“When I was 12, I made a commitment that if I ever could thank the Vietnam veterans for what they did, I would be a part of it more than happily,†Brady said. “This makes this mission complete.”
“It made him feel like he had done his part for the veterans,†Booher said.
“We are very grateful for what you have done and what you have given to our nation and we will never forget you,†Brady said.
Dr Brady and his wife, Dr Dawn Langley-Brady, have been married for 24 years. She teaches nursing at Augusta University. He is now an associate professor at East Georgia State College-Augusta.
If you know a veteran who deserves our Salute To Service, you can name them here.
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