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PATRICK "BOOT-CAMP" BRADY

Real Name: Patrick ("Pat") James "Boot-Camp" Brady

Identity/Class: Normal human (1930s-1950s)

Occupation: Master sergeant

Group Membership: United States Marine Corps (USMC)

Affiliations: Buck Banner, Jeff Cartwright, Donald "Dilbert" Danning, Elmer Doodle, Hitch, Novak, "Zootie", other USMC trainees, fellow Marines

Enemies: Japanese infantry (WWII)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Parris Island, South Carolina, USA;
   formerly Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA

First Appearance: Marines in Action#1/4 (June, 1955)

Powers/Abilities: Patrick Brady was an experienced professional boxer before being trained in the US Marines. He has athlete-level fitness, strength and stamina. He is an expert at hand-to-hand combat, including judo, and is an excellent sharpshooter with combat experience covering various guns. His time as a Marine in Korea gave him officer-level skills at map reading, radio, first aid and United Nations ceasefire rules, and likely basic Korean language skills. He is loyal to the US Marines and has a vast knowledge of their history (and is keen to share this knowledge). He has a stern, yet cheerful and respectful composure, acting as a mentor or big brother to his recruits, whom he considers friends after their ten-week training is completed

Height: 6' (by approximation)
Weight: 190 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black/dark brown

History:

(Marines in Action#1/4 (fb)) - In 1939, Patrick Brady was a professional boxer in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.

(Marines in Action#1/4 (fb) - BTS) - Brady joined the US Marines (seemingly in 1939) and was actively involved in combat during WWII.

(Marines in Action#1/4 (fb)) - In 1942, as the USA fought Japan in WWII, he was Private First Class shooting shirtless at Japanese on Guadalcanal in the Pacific.

(Marines in Action#4/4 (fb)) - At one point in the battle for Guadalcanal, Brady was trapped by Japanese infantry in swampland. Slinging racist slurs, Brady swung on vines to get away, then crawled through a narrow tunnel to a cliff side, where he had to scale the rocky face. The Japanese captain was waiting for him at the top, but Brady swung away again on a vine. Several Japanese tried to follow on one vine, but Brady used his rifle's last bullet to sever the vine across the canyon, allowing him escape.

(Marines in Action#1/4 (fb)) - In 1945, Corporal Brady was with the First Division fighting Japanese soldiers on Okinawa.
    In 1950, rising to the rank of Sergeant, Brady fought Communist Korean soldiers

(Marines in Action#13/5 (fb)) - Sgt. Brady was one of the US Marines guarding the ceasefire corridor known as the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. He and another soldier collected three Communist deserters. While stationed there, Brady observed various strange gimmicks used by the Communist North to entice soldiers to cross over, including singing chorus girls.

(Marines in Action#1/4 (fb) - BTS) - Pat Brady became drill instructor at the US Marine Corps' recruit depot on Parris Island, South Carolina, and established a reputation for molding civilians into Marines. He took the nickname "Boot-Camp".

(Marines in Action#1/4) - Having served 16 years for the Marines already, Brady met his latest batch of recruits as they got off the bus, including Buck Banner, Elmer Doodle and Jeff Cartwright. Gruff but smiling, he assigned them barrack beds and gave them their first introduction to Marine life and expectations. Brady quickly established authority and easily met Banner's challenge to Doodle to change beds.

(Marines in Action#2/4) - Brady told several recruits about the legend of "Iron Mike", a generalized representation of Marines in WWI. The recruits then left to go to their place of worship on a Sunday. Later, having obtained an overnight pass and in his Marine Blue Dress Uniform, Brady checked on the new recruits in their beds. He told them of the battle of Chapultepec against Mexico in 1847. When he finished his impromptu (somewhat embellished) history lesson, he realized most of the tired recruits had fallen asleep and let them rest.

(Marines in Action#3/4) - Brady instructed his new recruits on the Marines' insignia. He admired the recruits' own research into past campaigns by the US Marines. Then, over lunch, he told his recruits of the different types, as well as the honor and respect that come with the various ranks and insignia, including his own four lower sleeve stripes (each signifying four years of service).

(Marines in Action#4/4) - Recruit Elmer Doodle questioned why they had to go through the harsh obstacle course. Brady told them of his experience at Guadalcanal against Japanese infantry and how the course fostered stamina and versatility. Impressed, the recruits were now keen to tackle the course.

(Marines in Action#5/4) - Brady supervised his recruits on the rifle range, explaining the importance (and prestige) of being an able sharpshooter. The training also covered pistols, flamethrowers, mortars and machine guns. Confident of his abilities as a trainer, Brady was unsurprised that his recruits had scored medals for their aim.

(Marines in Action#6/4) - Brady taught the recruits about hand-to-hand combat and self-defense using judo and boxing. Recruit Buck Banner was keen to beat Brady in a demonstration fight, but the instructor's advanced training prevented Banner from getting the upper hand. The recruits cheered when Brady told them their initial training had ended.

(Marines in Action#7/4) - At the end of their ten-week training, the latest batch of recruits had their photo taken with Brady. The photographer indicated that recruits were lucky to have Brady in their group photo. The recruits were let off on a ten-day furlough, but when Brady found out Banner had no one to go home to, Brady invited the recruit spend time with him. Recruit Jeff Cartwright's parents invited his friends for a party that evening. When Brady and the recruits arrived, they found armed men robbing the hosts. Brady quickly swung into action, his recruits following combat methods he'd taught them, and they soon overpowered the thieves. Jeff Cartwright said Brady was to thank for making them fighting-fit men.

(Marines in Action#8/4) - Brady's trainees were keen to secretly give him a happy farewell, but played silent as their truck carried them away from boot-camp. Brady was a little saddened that none had farewelled him, but he was distracted by a raucous pillow fight in the barracks. Brady's stern voice brought instant discipline as he made the recruits quickly clean up. During that time, the supposedly departed batch had double-backed and surprised the now happy Brady in his hut with a cheery farewell, including a sign "We'll never forget Boot-Camp Brady".

(Marines in Action#9/5) - Brady watched a new team of recruits cover an obstacle course. He received a new batch every 10 weeks, but felt that they departed like brothers. He observed new recruit Donald Danning be branded a "Dilbert" (Marine lingo for someone who messes up). Later, walking through camp, Brady saw Danning crying quietly alone and gave words of encouragement to boost Danning's self-confidence. He performed much better the next day and thanked Brady.

(Marines in Action#10/4) - When a respectful recruit declared his admiration for the "Marines' Hymn" during a military parade, Brady revealed that the song's writer was unknown, but that it came from the Mexican War of the 1840s and was set to the tune of a comic opera.

(Marines in Action#11/5) - Brady supervised a screening of a film for recruits documenting US Marines in action in Korea. Brady cheerfully responded to a curious trainee asking about the wars that Marines were involved in since their founding in 1775. He touched on domestic and foreign military intervention around the world, declaring all of America was proud of the US Marine Corps.

(Marines in Action#12/5) - During a march back to barracks, Brady gave an informal lesson on "leatherneck lingo", the slang terms used by US Marines and their oft international origins. He left the "boots" (recruits) with cleaning duty while he went to enjoy coffee and a chat with an old Marine friend.

(Marines in Action#13/5) - Brady spoke about the DMZ Marines - US Marines who patrolled the Demilitarized Zone in Korea, and recounted his experience as one. He told of the qualifications and high standards demanded of such Marines.

(Marines in Action#14/5) - Brady taught about the adaptable nature and specific task roles of the "Marauder Marines", officially termed the Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, which was founded in 1948.

(Marines in Battle#22/4) - Brady spoke of the Free China Marine schools on Formosa (later Taiwan), which adopted US military training with American instructors to counter the perceived Communist China threat.

Comments: Created by uncredited writer, Tom Scheuer (pencils & inks).

In the intro at the top of the stories, Brady was described as "the gyrene who makes boys into men ... and men into Marines ..."

It appears that "Boot-Camp" Brady was one of the "casualties" when Atlas Comics was forced to reduce its number of titles in 1957. The last story, published in "Marines in Battle" in 1958, may be one of the stories that had been paid for, but left unpublished because editor Stan Lee did not consider them suitable and so kept them in a cupboard; apparently publisher Goodman found the stories and fired staff, then printed the unpublished inventory.

Brady started off with a support cast of trainees, but was later sometimes shown only speaking to the reader. The audience were likely his trainees, but they were not shown. Initially five-pager stories, they slipped down to quick three-pagers by issue 5.

He could easily have a cameo somewhere as a retired vet.

His knowledge of Marines action seems skewed to the positives and, like with many 1950s-ear war comics, could be perceived as basic propaganda.

Curiously, there is a General Patrick Henry Brady Boot Camp Correctional Facility in South Dakota, USA, named after a Patrick Brady who initially did tours in Vietnam in the 1960s as a medical pilot.

Thanks to Ron Fredricks for cleaning up the main and first head shot a bit.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Pat "Boot-Camp" Brady has no known connections to:

Buck Banner

For unrevealed reasons, Buck Banner no longer had a family and joined the Marines, where he was initially trained by "Boot-Camp" Brady. Strong, Banner tried to bully fellow recruit Doodle to change bunk beds, but was stopped by Brady. Keen to prove himself against his drill instructor, he tried to beat Brady in demonstration fights of judo and boxing, but failed. Later, having completed his ten-week training and left with leave, he was sad as he had no one to visit, so Brady welcomed Banner to join him. The next day, the recruits left camp quietly, but secretly returned to loudly say farewell to Brady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Marines in Action#1/4 (2/4, 3/4, 6/4, 7/4, 8/4

Jeff Cartwright

Jeff Cartwright came from a wealthy family that lived near the Marines' training facility in North Carolina. Of Jewish faith, he was blond haired and a filing clerk before being trained under "Boot-Camp" Brady, including at the rifle range. Having completed the ten-week training, the recruits were given ten days leave. But Cartwright's proud parents invited all their son's Marine friends to a party at their home that night. Limousines carried them there, but the recruits and Brady found thieves attempting a hold-up. Jeff joined in clobbering the robbers using judo moves he'd learned from Brady. The next day, the recruits left camp quietly, but secretly returned to loudly say farewell to Brady.

He showed mechanical aptitude in the general classification test and hoped to move to radio engineering.

 

 

 

--Marines in Action#1/4 (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 8/4

Donald "Dilbert" Danning

Donald Danning wanted to be a Marine since he was a young child. He made it to boot-camp, but was dubbed "Dilbert" by his colleagues, who used Marine lingo for someone who regularly messed up. His fellow trainees mocked him as he fell from obstacle courses, missed shooting targets and tripped during a drill. Later, instructor Brady saw him crying and so gave him words of encouragement to believe in himself and improve his self-confidence. Brady watched as Danning spent two hours solo covering obstacles and improving his skills. His confidence built, Danning performed vastly better the next day and thanked Brady.

 

 

 

--Marines in Action#9/5

Elmer Doodle

Elmer Doodle joined the Marines and was trained by "Boot-Camp" Brady. Doodle was initially confronted by the bully Buck Banner, but Brady stared the bully down. Doodle engaged in the various training exercises and instructions, and was glad that the Marines allowed the incorporation of college studies. After 10 weeks of training, he was among the recruits who departed camp quietly, but secretly returned to loudly say farewell to Brady.

Doodle initially had red hair, but was later colored (presumably mistakenly) as blond.

 

 

 

 

--Marines in Action#1/4 (2/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 8/4

images: (without ads)
Marines in Action#1/4, p1, pan4 (main image)
Marines in Action#6/4, p2, pan7 (headshot)
Marines in Action#4/4, p1, pan4 (leaping, WWII uniform)
Marines in Action#2/4, p4, pan4 (blue dress uniform)
Marines in Action#5/4, p3, pan6 (side profile)
Marines in Action#8/4, p3, pan6 (hat, being cheered)
Marines in Action#6/4, p3, pan1 (Banner)
Marines in Action#7/4, p3, pan4 (Cartwright)
Marines in Action#9/5, p1, pan3 (Danning)
Marines in Action#1/4, p3, pan4 (Doodle)

Appearances:
Marines in Action#1/4 (June, 1955) - uncredited writer, Tom Scheuer (pencils & inks), uncredited editor
Marines in Action#2/4 (August, 1955) - uncredited writer, Tom Scheuer (pencils & inks), uncredited editor
Marines in Action#3/4 (October, 1955) - uncredited writer, Tom Scheuer (pencils & inks), uncredited editor
Marines in Action#4/4 (December, 1955) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), uncredited editor
Marines in Action#5/4 (February 1956) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), uncredited editor
Marines in Action#6/4 (April, 1956) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Action#7/4 (July, 1956) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Action#8/4 (September, 1956) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Action#9/5 (November, 1956) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Action#10/4 (January, 1957) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Action#11/5 (March, 1957) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Action#12/5 (May, 1957) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Action#13/5 (July, 1957) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Action#14/5 (September, 1957) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marines in Battle#22/4 (March, 1958) - uncredited writer, Dave Berg (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 02/05/2019

Last updated: 02/06/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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