NAS Jax remembers fallen pilots

"This tree will provide the comfort and shade those two guys provided us long after the squadron and air wing are gone," said Cmdr. John Breast, commanding officer of VS-32.

The tree, a seven-foot-tall Magnolia, was donated by Pat's Nursery in Green Cove Springs, Fla. Underneath the tree is a granite marker that reads "Lt. Cmdr. Scott T. Bracher, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas E. Blake Jr., In memory of our fallen heroes, Sept. 21, 2005." The marker was donated by Beaches Memorial in Jacksonville.

The dedication of a tree and marker as a living memorial to fallen Sailors is an old tradition at NAS Jacksonville. Patriot's Grove located just past the NAS Jax Main Gate is dedicated specifically for this purpose. However this tree and marker were placed in Heritage Park which is home to several static displays of decommissioned aircraft as well as a display of the S-3B Viking.

VS-32 Commanding Officer Cmdr. John Breast says a few words to open the tree dedication ceremony. In front of him is the tail hook which was recovered from the crash, cut in half and mounted on these boards along with a plaque engraved with each pilot's name and call-sign. VS-32 gave these pieces of memorbilia to the Blake and Bracher families.

"We wanted to put the marker here so it could face the S-3," said Breast.

After Breast addressed the crowd, he gave family members and friends the opportunity to speak about their memories of Bracher and Blake.

"Scott and I used to talk about who we thought would come to our funerals," said Jessica Blake, the widow of the fallen pilot who came all the way from Nebraska for the ceremony. "He thought only his close family would come so he would be blown away by all of this."

Jessica also thanked everyone for coming and expressed her continued support of the naval aviation mission.

Bracher's mother, Lorraine Bracher also thanked everyone for continuing to remember her son.

Lt. Cmdr. Robert Rosales also remembered Blake and Bracher as some of the best department heads one could hope for.

(From left) The parents of Lt. Cmdr. Scott Bracher, Greg and Lorraine, his brother Todd, Lt. Cmdr. Robert Rosales, Cmdr. Kevin Quarder, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Blake's daughter Lily, Jessica Blake and Tommy Jr. look on during the tree dedication ceremony Jan. 19.

Each of the families received a half of the lower portion of the tailhook from the plane Blake and Bracher were flying. Each half was mounted on a wooden frame with a brass plaque, which is engraved with the name, call-signs and plane number of each pilot.

"They really bridged the gap between junior officers and department heads," Rosales said. "Every member of the squadron was blessed to have had them with us."