Remembering Brad Arms by The Covenant School

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. These words are trustworthy and true. – Revelations 21:4-5

emembrance of the Fallen

Corporal Bradley Thomas Arms USMC

1984–2004 February 13, 1984 – November 19, 2004 Printed by McClung Companies (800) 942-1066 • www.mcclungco.com

Corporal Bradley Thomas Arms Brad Arms November 5, 2001 - joined the Marine Corps Reserves February 13, 1984 born in Charlottesville, Virginia 1989 - 1993 attended Greenbrier Elementary, K-3

1993 - 2002 attended The Covenant School, 4th -12th 1998 became a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church May 2004 finished sophomore year at the University of Georgia

September 20, 2002 - finished Boot Camp at Parris Island, S.C. received a meritorious promotion to Private First Class. December 2002 - finished Military Combat Training and Combat Engineering School at Camp Lejeune, N.C. first in his class and received a meritorious promoted to Lance Corporal August 30, 2004 - deployed to Iraq October 2004 - promoted to Corporal November 19, 2004 - called home by his Lord and Savior

t has been several years since Brad was called home by God. For those who didn’t know him personally, we wanted to share some stories about him that were shared with us after his death. Hopefully you will get a glimpse of who he was – his character, his impact on others, and his love for the Lord. When Brad joined the church in 9th grade the following verse was the one he chose as his life verse. John 15:5 “ I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in Him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Years after his death, we continue to see the fruit of his faith through the lives he touched. May you be blessed and inspired as you read these stories.

~ It was either my junior or senior year of high school and we were conditioning for soccer. We were required to run two miles on the track in thirteen minutes or something like that. Brad and a few others had finished on time and I was lagging behind struggling to finish. You can imagine that most guys as they cross the finish line collapsed or tried to catch their breath. But Brad was less concerned with himself than he was with his teammates. After he finished the drill he came back to me and he ran next to me and encouraged me to the end. And I will never forget him telling me, as we ran together towards the goal, “You can do anything through Christ”. And he repeated it several times. “Anything!” This story may not seem like a big deal to some, but I believe it speaks volumes of Brad’s character. I have no doubt that this was the type of solider he was as well. This is because putting others first and helping out was his motivation as he lived to serve the Lord by serving others. Chris Gilbert – Soccer Team, Covenant School ~ Throughout our time at Covenant, I really enjoyed getting to know Brad and watch him grow spiritually. In ninth grade I remember taking the Trinity membership class with him. He was always one of the most involved guys in our youth group and we went on many missions trips together. There was no doubt in my mind that Brad was one of the strongest Christian figures in our grade. It was a silent leadership; often I would see him do things without expecting to receive the credit for it. I cannot say enough about Brad’s patriotism and strong work ethic. It takes a special person to long to serve their country. He was a bright shining light in everyone’s life that he met. He was a great friend, a strong Christian and I will never forget him. Chris Brown – Covenant School Friend

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. – Jim Elliot

~ When he was still a student in high school, Brad made an amazing impression on my wife. He always approached us in church with a wide smile and kind words. He greeted us enthusiastically and was truly interested in our kids and in our family. Denna (my wife) was always struck by his courtesy and confidence, and she even remarked once that she wanted someone exactly like Brad to marry our daughter some day. David Sawyer – Covenant School Teacher ~ Brad was good with people and I remember that wherever he and John Dalton were, there was always laughter and smiles. On a mission’s trip to Philadelphia in 2001 all the guys stayed up really late one night because of the jokes going on between Brad and John. I remember laughing so hard that my stomach ached. Ben Ochs – Covenant School Friend ~ We played croquet together at Mrs. Conrod’s house. We were in the way back and giggled about how bad we were. That’s the thing about Brad. I always felt completely free to be myself around him because he laughed at my jokes almost as much as he laughed at himself. And laughing at yourself is a great mark of character. Brad was definitely one of my closest guy friends and I miss him very much. I am confident that he is with the Lord though because he never hid his faith. He was probably one of the most genuine people I know. Rebecca Giles – Covenant School Friend ~ On Valentine’s Day some of the Sig Ep fraternity brothers went to a retirement community for some volunteer work. They were having a Dance Social for the residents. A couple of elderly ladies came up to Brad and asked if he would like to dance. He responded “Yes, of course. I thought you would never ask”. He twirled the 70 and 80 year old ladies around the dance floor and they were all beaming. He did not get a break! He was smiling; the ladies could not get enough of him. They said that he was the perfect gentleman! Laura McCord – UGA Classmate 3

~ Brad and I spent many nights staying up later than we should have, talking about God, school, girls and life in general. He became a great friend that would do anything for me. Sometimes I felt like Brad looked up to me as a role model, but inside of me, the truth was I looked up to him. I marveled at his incredible organization skills as he juggled school work, fraternity dedication, social times, and driving up to Virginia every month (from Atlanta) for Marine training. He never missed a beat; he was always on top of things. Now, even as I cope with all the pain inside of me, I can’t wait to see Brad again. I know that this will happen. You see, our relationship was stronger than blood. We would do anything for each other. And he did – he gave his life for the betterment of mine. I will forever be thankful. Charlie Britt – UGA Fraternity Brother and Roommate ~ Brad was not your average, run-of-the-mill type guy… every single time I saw him, he had a huge smile on his face. It just lit up my entire day. I will never forget his hugs… when he hugged you he really made you feel like SOMEBODY. You could tell he was really, genuinely happy to see you, like he meant it. I think that is how he lived his life…like he meant it, every single moment of each day. It hasn’t hit me that he is gone, but I take comfort in the fact that I will see him again. Irene Chernova – UGA Classmate ~ I do not think I have ever met a young man of stronger faith than Brad and I know that I have never met anyone whose heart was more filled with the love of Christ. He was not quite 21 years old when he died. I don’t suppose that he had yet heard the “big” calling to whatever would be his life’s work, and as a Marine Corps Reservist, I don’t think he planned on a full-time career in the military. But Brad certainly heard the call to live a Christian life in the moment, and his openness to that call was striking. Just to meet Brad even once and however briefly was to know that you were with someone who was always asking “OK, Lord, who do you want me to spread your word to today? Who do you need me to share your love with right now?” It was by his attentiveness to these “small” callings that Brad understood God’s bigger plan for his life. Michael Coppola –Next Door Neighbor 4

~ When Brad was in high school he was among about 15 young people who traveled to a small town in eastern Mexico for a week to help at a church. I was one of the adult leaders for the mission trip. Packing was a challenge and I consequently put way too much stuff in my suitcase. I’m not a big woman and I soon realized this suitcase was truly going to kill me for the next week. Enter Brad Arms. He must have seen me struggling with it in the airport because he walked over and swung it up on the scale like it weighed a few pounds. “Whew! What a relief!” I was done with that horrible red suitcase for a whole day while it traveled in the cargo hold. I tried to forget all about that suitcase as we made our way south. At last we arrived in Mexico City and I was forced to reunite with the heavy suitcase. Each time as I was beginning to sweat and feel horribly embarrassed, Brad would appear and carry my suitcase. He never said anything, he just took care of it. I never asked him for help; no one else told him to help. I didn’t know him well at the time; he certainly didn’t know me. And yet… this young man was not only kind enough to help a struggling middle-aged woman, but he was attentive and insightful enough to notice my problem in the first place. Not once but about 8 times. Now here is a true fact I have observed for many years: high school boys do not notice middle-aged women—nor have they the slightest interest in the particulars of their lives. This is true and can be verified in any number of ways. But Brad was obviously cut from a different piece of cloth. He noticed, he cared, he acted. Brad Arms made it his business to take care of my heavy suitcase the entire week. I will never forget it. Nancy Moore

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. – John F. Kennedy

~ I was impressed with Brad when he first became a part of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He was one of those new brothers that did not wait for me to come to him, he came to me and requested a meeting so that we could get to know each other better. I greatly appreciated that. Later, I remember when Brad came to my office and told me that he was going to Iraq. I asked him if that was really what he wanted to do. He responded that he had prayed about it a lot and it was time to “take it up to the next level.” I then understood that he needed to do some of the great things he had already done for others in another place. It was then that I understood, even with all my fears, what he needed to do. Victor Wilson - UGA Faculty Advisor to Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity ~ While at Camp Pendleton, Brad was given the responsibility to pass out the men’s weapons for their training exercises, an important responsibility usually given to ranks higher than Lance Corporal. When Captain Goldstein came up to the armory, he didn’t have the identification card necessary to secure his weapon. Brad and the Captain knew each other well, but since Captain Goldstein didn’t have the required ID, Brad withheld his gun… until he returned with his card. Brad was a man of integrity. Gunnery Sergeant Dewayne Walters - USMC ~ During P.T. (physical training) at Camp Pendleton, when we would do the distance runs, Brad would often double back and run along side the stragglers, encouraging them to finish strong. Corporal Chad Ellinger - USMC ~ One time Brad and I were tasked out on a particularly hard assignment. Because we were reservists, the unit we were supporting as combat engineers didn’t respect us and chose to make life difficult for us. When we got back 10 days later, we were both exhausted. I collapsed on my rack. But Brad took the trash out. He was always doing things like that. Lance Corporal Redmond - USMC

~ Brad always said “Yeah, I got it”. It seemed like every time they needed something done, or someone to take a working party to do some manual labor or get to the armory to count and clean rifles, as Nate put it, “Brad just always said ‘Yeah, I got it’. Before you could even register what was going on he was two steps into it, taking care of ‘it’”. I think that is pretty much a summation of my experience with him as well, I could always task him and know that before the words had left my mouth he was already solving the problem. 1st Lt. Jason Christy - USMC ~ Arms was the most locked on Marine that I have probably ever met, a man that could be held accountable for jobs that many NCO’s several years older could not be trusted to complete. Arms died a true Marine’s death, Front-Towards-Enemy, charging into the face of a known threat. Corporal Brad Arms made the only choice a real Marine can make. He risked everything for his fellow brothers, and I thank God for men like him and I pray that I could go as bravely as he. Sgt. Bradford Garrigues – Fire Team Leader in Iraq ~ I was a member of Brad’s platoon before I was injured in Iraq. He was a Lance Corporal at the time, but I thought of him as a leader. He was a fine example of what a Marine should be. He was always trying to better himself even though he was the tip of the sword when it came to knowing how to do his job as a combat engineer. He was a person with compassion and understanding. His thirst never stopped, he was always in the gym or reading books, and the Bible. He was very devoted to God, and he was not ashamed of that, even correcting the foulmouthed Marines that used God’s name when swearing. In October he was promoted to Corporal, although in my mind he was always a Corporal I will never forget Brad Arms and I am very proud to say that I served with him. Semper Fi. Corporal Gentry - USMC

~ Brad was an outstanding Marine and a true friend who I got to know while training with Charlie Company, in pre-deployment in California and also here in Iraq. I want to let you know that Brad was an encouragement to me and many others and I cherish his friendship and all I gleaned from him as a Marine. His death, though tough to deal with, is held in high honor. There was no hesitation on his part in responding to the cry for help from other Marine brothers, he lead the 3 of us from the courtyard we were in, to the site of the trapped Marines. His instant actions saved lives. “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 My greatest comfort is knowing not so much who Brad was but whose he is, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Lance Corporal Nate Farris – USMC ~ Right before entering the battle for Fallujah we were all slapping each other on the back, trying to break the tension, joking about our invincibility. But when I jabbed Brad he replied, “I don’t know if I’ll come out alive, but I do know where I’ll go when I die.” Sgt. Jared Owen – USMC

There will be a time when you will hear that I died…but don’t you believe it. I will be more alive than I have ever been. – D.L. Moody