JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
As Paul Bredlau got out of his vehicle, he turned his ball cap around and thought to himself, “Suck it up. I have to find the facts.”
Walking down the road, Paul and one of his son’s friends from his unit found the tire tracks. The tracks led them to the levy that caused U.S. Army Spc. Joshua Bredlau’s vehicle to flip and impact a tree, which took his life instantly.
Paul dug through the grass and debris to find anything that was left.
“I distinctly remember these palm trees around the site,” explained Paul. “This helped me because it was kind of like what Jesus went through on Psalm Sunday. I touched the tree of impact and the blood shed that was there knowing only the good lord and those above know what happened at that time.”
Kathryn Bredlau, Joshua’s mother, said her son had recently returned from his tour in Iraq as a combat medic and reenlisted in hopes of becoming a guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier when the accident happened.
“The immediate shock was of how could this happen to us,” recalled Paul. “I remember saying to not lose hope and don’t go downhill.”
To keep on track Paul and Kathryn held on to their strong faith through prayer and utilized the Survivor Outreach Program at Fort Eustis, Virginia.
“It took us a couple of years before we started going to the Survivor Outreach Program meetings,” explained Kathryn. “That was probably a God send in a way because there is no discriminating there.”
The program provided the Bredlau’s a support system of empathy that only those who have also lost a child could give.
“Everybody has a horror story and that’s one thing we learned from being a part of the Survivor Outreach Program,” said Kathryn. “There’s a point where you feel all alone and that no one is going through what you’re going through.”
Along with the SOS, the Army provided additional support in various ways to help the Bredlau family.
“The Army was definitely on the ball with arrangements from the airports, the funeral home and all the escorts,” said Paul. “Staff Sgt. Pope took great care of us, he drove us where ever we needed to go.”
To keep the memory of their son alive, Paul and Kathryn also bought a farm, which they hope to open as a therapeutic retreat for military families that have suffered the loss of a loved one.
“His memory will never be forgotten,” said Kathryn. “He’ll always be with us and it’s nice to know the Army’s not going to forget him either. They will keep his memory alive and we appreciate them for that.”