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WILBUR DAVID "BRICK" BRICKWELL was
born in Englewood, NJ, the only child of
Harold and Mildred Cook Brickwell. He
grew up in New Jersey and graduated from
Hackensack High School. He was a Boy
Scout and a member of the Civil Air Patrol,
and he found particular enjoyment in flying,
biking, and participating in theater arts.
Following high school, Brick joined the Air
Force and, during his three-year enlistment,
served at Scott Field, IL, Randolph Field, TX,
and Stewart Field, NY. He then took math
and science courses at a junior college near
his home while awaiting a senatorial appointment
to West Point
Brick’s four years at the Academy were
fairly typical. He experienced the usual Plebe conflicts with the upperclassmen, some academic
and “area” concerns, and an occasional
blind date. His final blind date was to
the 100th Nite Show his yearling year with
Lorraine Miloche of Teaneck, NJ, the girl
he would court thenceforth and marry a few
days after graduation.
Following graduation leave and completion
of the Artillery Officers Basic Course,
Brick and Lorrie headed to Ft. Sill, OK, where
Brick commanded a battery. In 1957, Brick
resigned his commission, taking a three-year
“sabbatical” from the Army. In 1960, he was
reappointed after deciding for certain on a
military career. Assigned to the 73rd Artillery,
1st Armored Division, at Ft. Hood, TX,
Brick’s duties included a tour as an aide-decamp.
Afterward, he attended the Artillery
and Ground-to-Air Missile School at Ft. Sill,
OK, and Ft. Bliss, TX.
In 1963, Brick studied Turkish at the Army
Language School in Monterey, CA, in preparation
for a two-year tour in Ankara. There he
was in charge of the Translation Unit for the
Joint U.S. Mission and served briefly as an aide
and the acting G-3. After serving a year in Viet
Nam with Headquarters, II Field Force, Brick
moved his family to Blacksburg, VA, where
he earned a master’s degree in history and enjoyed
an especially gratifying four-year assignment
with the Military Science Department
at Virginia Tech. Brick then served as the
Inspector General at Ft. Wainwright, AK, his
final assignment. The family enjoyed great adventures
in the cold environment.
In 1974, Brick retired from the Army, was
quickly hired by a Canadian drilling company
working on the Alaska Pipeline, and the
family settled in Fairbanks. The responsibilities
of Brick’s new job involved organizing
and managing the Fairbanks office and providing
liaison between the company’s activities
on the North Slope and their offices in
Calgary, Alberta.
When the pipeline project ended, Brick
and Lorrie retired to Florida, leaving their
two adult children in Alaska and taking the
other two children with them. Soon thereafter,
Brick and Lorrie took up RVing and
cruising and enjoyed many adventures on
the road as they ventured across the nation.
In the late 1980s, Brick developed melanoma
and prostate cancer, conditions dictating
a more sedate life, and they made one final
move to Lacey, WA, near Ft. Lewis and closer
to other family members. A subsequent
heart condition was followed a few years later
by the appearance of four inoperable brain
tumors, which led to seizures.
Although ailing and terminally ill, Brick
was determined to participate in one final
tribute to his alma mater, the Founders Day
celebration at Ft. Lewis on 15 Mar 1999. Of
that day Lorrie said: “He looked so handsome
and stood straight and tall as he sang his ‘Alma
Mater.’ On the way home, he had his first really
bad seizure. . . . In April, it was obvious
he did not have much time. He stayed in bed
then, and Home Hospice kept him comfortable.
He was ready and glad when the children
gathered to say final goodbyes on April 23rd,
the day he went to the Lord.”
Lieutenant Colonel Brickwell’s awards included
the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster,
two Meritorious Service Medals, and the Joint
Service Commendation Medal. He is survived
by his wife Lorraine; his four children,
Tom, Lise, Jim, and Bill; their spouses; and
seven grandchildren.
“Brick, an officer and a gentleman always.”
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