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<p><em>William Bradford “Brad” Hoelscher Jr.</em> was born on November 17, 1948 in Indianapolis, IN to Lieutenant Colonel William B. Hoelscher Sr. and Mrs. Jane Bertuleit Hoelscher. He grew up as an Air Force brat, with all the very frequent relocations that a service life entails. While his family was stationed at Stewart Air Force Base (AFB), about 15 miles from USMA, Brad graduated high school in 1967 from the Newburgh Free Academy, where he was active in football, wrestling, track, the Boy Scouts, and the Protestant Youth of the Chapel. </p>
<p>Given his family’s military background, it was no surprise that Brad pursued attendance at USMA. He was accepted through the Academy sports program as a qualified competitor. </p>
<p>Brad quickly adapted to his new military life, and he thrived in the football and wrestling varsity programs at the Academy. He also participated in the SCUBA Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. </p>
<p>Companymates from H-2 recall various heartfelt “Cadet Hoelscher” memories:</p>
<p><em>Brad seemed just out of cadet central casting—big, handsome, and athletic. He was also determined, focused and supremely competitive. His approach was to work hard and always “choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.” He embraced each challenge with confidence, made the best of it, and moved on.</em></p>
<p><em>Brad’s trademark look was a wry smile, or even a smirk, which made you think he knew something you didn’t and that he was already a step ahead of you. As a plebe, he often got in trouble with upperclassmen for that prevailing “smile.” </em></p>
<p><em>Brad loved sleeping in a very cold room, with the windows wide open, even in winter. His roommates reluctantly got used to this “temperature challenge,” but many smartly designated a plebe to quietly shut the windows before reveille. Brad meekly watched this ritual from his bed, sporting his traditional wry smile. </em></p>
<p>The years at USMA flew by, and Brad soon faced the key decision of selecting a military branch for his service obligation. Brad chose to go Air Force like his father, who joined the Army Air Cadets in 1943 and flew fighters in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam before retiring in 1970. In 2018, Brad visited the village near Prague where Lieutenant Colonel Hoelscher Sr. was forced to bail out when antiaircraft fire severely damaged his P-51D Mustang. </p>
<p>Brad’s own career in the Air Force (AF) focused on the intelligence field, which by its nature assured that he rarely rubbed shoulders with his classmates in the Army. He worked in signals intelligence in Korea and the UK (1972-75), he commanded an AF detachment at the Navy’s Cryptologic School in Florida (1975-78), and he worked with the AF Systems Command, Satellite Test Center in California (1978-81).</p>
<p>He resigned from the AF in 1981 as a captain, but remained in the AF Reserves, with service at Griffiss AFB, NY; at McGhee Tyson AFB, TN; and at Scott AFB, IL, where he worked in the TRANSCOM Joint Reserve Transportation Unit. While at TRANSCOM, he provided support for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and for Operation Restore Hope (Somalia). While in the Reserves, he also attended the Air Command and Staff College (1988) and the Air War College (1994). He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2001.</p>
<p>On the civilian side, Brad worked with the GE Space Division in Pennsylvania and New York (1981-88), with Northern Telecom and High Output Consulting in Tennessee (1988-96), and as an independent Information Systems consultant in Durham, NC (1996-2013).</p>
<p>Ever loyal to the Academy’s mission and his classmates, Brad served as a very successful USMA Admissions Field Force representative, screening and coaching candidates through the process. A notable classmate incident occurred in 2016 when a companymate who had been out of touch for many years suddenly asked if he could spend a week at Brad’s home during a class event. Brad was at the beach with his family but without hesitation agreed to drive back, make the home available, and even spend a couple of nights with the classmate. That was Brad, a brother in arms with fellow graduates, for life. </p>
<p>Brad was diagnosed with the very rare ocular melanoma in 2015 and was successfully treated, but the cancer unfortunately metastasized to the liver in 2019. True to his fighting spirit, Brad volunteered for a brutal clinical trial that provided targeted chemotherapy. He made it through various steps before learning that the cancer had spread and the treatment would not be successful. </p>
<p>Brad and his wife, Wendy, had two children: Bradford (WBH III), born in 1984 (USMA 2008), and Stewart, born in 1986. In addition to Wendy and her sons, Brad is survived by Bradford’s wife, Aleece; grandchildren, Lia Caroline and William Bradford Hoelscher IV (Ivan); Stewart’s partner, Kevin Pointer; brother Bruce (USMA 1976), and a host of nieces and nephews. </p>
<p>Brad’s career provides an ideal script that others would do well to follow. Between active duty and reserves, he spent 30 years in service, while also excelling in wide-ranging civilian positions with a Defense focus. Everyone who met him quickly concluded that he was a special individual, from a special place, with a special family. There can be no better tribute to USMA. You did well, my friend; may God now hold you in his arms. Be Thou at Peace. “Professionally Done by ’71.”</p>
<p><em>— Fellow company members, H-2, and Brad’s Family </em></p>
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