Soldier, counselor honored by his youth camp

Published 6:36 pm Saturday, May 29, 2010

Brian Bradshaw was funny, caring and charismatic. He was just the sort of leader who kids can’t stop gabbing about when they get home from summer camp.

Raised in Pierce County, as a boy Bradshaw came north each summer to Catholic Youth Organization camps, first to Camp Don Bosco near Carnation and later to Camp Hamilton south of Monroe.

As a teen, he joined the camps’ staff. He worked as a dishwasher at 16, and later became a cabin leader and counselor who headed mountain biking sessions at Camp Hamilton.

“A lot of kids looked up to him. He challenged them in good ways,” said Barbie Solbakken, 23, who teaches environmental programs at Camp Hamilton. “He was loud and funny. Riding bikes, he’d say ‘You guys can do it.’ He could do everything and climb anything.

“Mainly, he inspired kids,” Solbakken said.

On June 25, 2009, Army 1st Lt. Brian Bradshaw was killed in action in Afghanistan. He was 24.

At Camp Hamilton, in the shadows of towering trees, his tenacious spirit lives on. A high-ropes challenge course was dedicated last weekend in Bradshaw’s honor. Built in spiderweb fashion, the course rises more than 40 feet above the ground. It includes about 15 activities, giving campers chances to challenge themselves just as Bradshaw put kids to the test.

His parents, Paul and Mary Bradshaw of Steilacoom, along with friends and strangers, contributed more than $50,000 to build the course.

Mary Bradshaw said family members from as far as the East Coast and some of her son’s fellow soldiers made the trip up a winding road to Camp Hamilton on May 22 for the dedication.

“We had quite a crowd, probably 75 people. All of the family and soldiers did the course — some did more than others,” she said. “You’re 40 feet in the air. There are different events, one is a Tarzan swing. You’re in a harness, but it’s still pretty challenging.”

Brian Bradshaw attended Tacoma’s Visitation Catholic School and Bellarmine Preparatory School before going to Pacific Lutheran University. After graduating in 2007 from PLU, where he was in the Reserve Officers Training Corps, he served at Fort Richardson, Alaska. He was part of the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Sent to Afghanistan in March 2009, he died after being wounded by an improvised bomb, according to the Department of Defense.

Mary Bradshaw, who served as an Army nurse, said her family chose the Camp Hamilton project to honor Brian because he’d been involved in Catholic Youth Organization camps since fourth grade. “He was a counselor and mountain bike counselor until his senior year in college. His closest friends were from CYO,” she said. When they saw plans for the challenge course, they knew it was right. “It was perfect for Brian, really in the spirit,” she said.

Her son, she said, was both a war hero “twice decorated for valor” and “just a kid who always had fun.”

“He was great with kids. He always took care of the underdog, and knew which tack to use with someone — whether to cajole them or just sit and put an arm around them,” Mary Bradshaw said. “He made everyone feel welcome.” She said he read to campers every night, even kids in junior high.

The Bradshaws hope the ropes course will be rented by other organizations. “It’s a way to give back to the camp,” Mary Bradshaw said.

At Camp Hamilton’s small lake, Solbakken said Bradshaw would put on snorkel gear and a mock shark fin to add a little thrill to kids’ swimming time. “That was definitely his personality, he’d go all out,” she said.

Solbakken said the challenge course design, which allows for up to a dozen participants at once, is in keeping with her friend’s approach in working with kids. “Partners can challenge each other,” she said. “There’s so much challenge for kids at camp, to get them a little out of their comfort zone, but not too much. It really speaks to Brian in that way.

“It will be cool to be out at camp remembering him,” Solbakken said.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.