UPDATE: Sports editor's son killed in Afghanistan

My sympathies. No one should have to experience this. RIP.

 

My condolances, and God bless.

 

Re: Sports editor's son killed in Afghanistan

I've known Louie B for nearly 20 years, back when he used to be the SE of the Inland Valley Bulletin and I used to bust his chops about two things: his obsession about cars making left turns (he's broken several racing stories in SoCal) and his hiring a college buddy of mine ahead of me. Louie used to laugh about it, then end the conversation with "You were a lot better off in the long run." We worked for competing newspapers for nearly 2 1/2 years, yet there was a mutual respect between us that there wasn't between some of the others at both places.

When I went to the Dark Side -- and after he took over as SE of the Sun/Bulletin (replacing the infamous Jim Mohr), inheriting a brutal, Singleton-created situation -- we went to lunch one day to talk about a client of mine. He talked frankly about what awaited him, yet said in due time, he'd take care of it and make it work. Then, we talked about some of his kids, one of whom I covered games with.

This is the definition of a true family man and while NOBODY should have to endure the death of a child, it's particularly painful when you know the person and know how devoted they are to their family. And that defines Louis Brewster.

This is one of the good guys in the biz, folks. Your sympathies are well-placed and well-warranted..

 

From talking to Jeff and others at the paper today, the service was truly moving and a testament to who Bryan was -- and who Lou is. And Birdscribe is right, Lou is one of the truly good people in the business.

 

Today was a tough day for everyone. I'll probably never forget that ceremony at the cemetery...seeing the 21-gun salute and hearing the bugler play taps was both surreal and completely heartbreaking. The family is so strong for being able to even make it through the day.

There wasn't really anything to come out of today...just sadness.

 

It was good that they didn't put any shots of the family in that photo gallery...the organizers did a good job of keeping the media out of the way in general.

 

Please tell me those Westboro fools stayed away.

 

No, they didn't show up! I was very relieved. That "Patriot Guard" was on hand just in case though...pretty cool. About 20-30 motorcycles with flags flying...

 

This is my 1,000th post. I won't be starting a thread like Modaho, but I did want to make a similar gesture. I decided to make it here.

I attended the funeral services for Sgt. Bryan Brewster yesterday and, like the rest of you close to Louie B and family, it has been a heartbreaking week around here. Bryan Brewster was the same age as I am: 24. That number has been rattling around in my mind all week. In every story I read, in every picture I see, in every word I hear, I think of that number. I know I was a choice away from being in his position.

I didn't know Sgt. Bryan Brewster, but I knew of him and he reminds me of, well, me. He looks very much like I do; same hair color, eye color, similar height. He even has a tattoo, like me. He's the type of person I hope I am. I doubt I'll have as many people celebrating my life when I leave this earth. I also doubt I'll leave this earth making the type of impact on as many people that he did.

But seeing all those people show up at the Performing Arts Center in Fontana, and all those people show up at the national cemetery in Riverside, I realize just how many people we have an effect on without even knowing it. I doubt Bryan Brewster ever imagined that all those people would show up in his memory one day, either. (As LouBrew said in characteristic bluntness in his eulogy, his youngest son didn't want "a sappy-ass funeral.")

I hope, however, that we all might keep in mind the people we affect every day as we go about our lives. I hope we all might think about what people will remember about us when we're gone, and who those people are. And I hope we all might take a moment to let them know how much we appreciate the impact they've made on our lives -- for people like Sgt. Bryan Brewster, who will never get a chance to do that for the people who impacted his life.

 

Well said.