The Larely Beagle – The Community Newspaper of Larely, California

MCAS Miramar, San Diego, CA – The U.S. Navy announced today that they will be creating a memorial statue for Lt. Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, a Radar Intercept Officer [RIO] who was killed during a TOPGUN training mission over twenty years ago.

The statue, which will be created by renowned sculptor Fritz Scanlan of Larely, CA, will be sculpted entirely out of bronze and will feature a shirtless Goose digging out a volleyball spike.

According to ADM Gary Roughead, the Chief of Naval Operations, “There was a lot of debate about what kind of pose we wanted Goose to have. In the end, we thought using a pose from a beach volleyball game that he loved so much best conveyed the vivacity with which Goose lived his life.”

When reached for comment, Goose’s widow, Carol Bradshaw, said “The Navy’s decision to have this statue created in my late husband’s memory is truly an honor. Goose loved four things on this Earth: His wife, flying with Maverick, Jerry Lee Lewis, and a competitive game of beach volleyball. I’d also like to remind everyone that Goose would have flown anyway, without Maverick. He would have hated it, but he would have done it. However, I know there’s no way he would have ever played a game of beach volleyball without Mav. Their bond was too tight.”

Goose, who flew with pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, was a rising star in the TOPGUN program, which was part of the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program that trained pilots to become specialized in air combat.

However, his life was tragically cut short during a routine training mission. During the mission, Maverick got caught in a fellow pilot’s jet wash and entered a flat spin, forcing he and Goose to eject. Maverick was able to eject safely, however, Goose ejected directly into the jettisoned cockpit canopy and was killed on impact.

Though Maverick was later cleared of any responsibility for Goose’s death, the emotional toll it left behind resulted in him nearly quitting the TOPGUN program. Maverick, who is currently a TOPGUN instructor was unavailable for comment as he was out riding around on his Kawasaki Ninja 900.

The statue is scheduled to be finished next year, and will be dedicated as part of the TOPGUN graduation ceremony.