Bradley Steven Korthaus was born on May 19th, 1974, and was raised in Davenport, IA. Korthaus graduated from Assumption High School in Davenport, IA in 1992. He was active in football, wrestling, soccer, and tennis while in high school. After graduation, Korthaus followed his lifelong dream of becoming a United States Marine. He served for four years in various parts of the world, including in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. After this four year term of service, Korthaus pursued becoming a plumber at home in the Quad Cities, meanwhile continuing to serve in the Marine Reserves C – Company, 4th Support Service Group, 6th Battalion. It was during his service in C – Company that Korthaus would be deployed to Iraq to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Korthaus and the rest of C – Company was deployed east of the embattled city of Nasiriyah, where they were given the mission of securing the water purification site at the Saddam Canal. On the north bank of the canal, C – Company saw 30 to 50 Iraqis gathering over the course of a few days. Due to the nature of the War in Iraq, it was difficult to determine whether these were displaced civilians, or enemy combatants, “a force protection officer [described] how some Iraqi soldiers in an area farther north had waved white flags, then disappeared. A short time later, shots were fired at the troops from the Iraqis’ direction.”
Furthermore, there was a 15 ft. ridge on the north bank where hostile combatants or secret weapons could very well have been lying in wait to be unleashed on the Marines. Captain William C. Leonhardt recognized that the north bank was his company’s weak point in the effort of securing the water purification site. Leonhardt gathered his squad leaders, and together they decided that the best course of action was to send four swimmers to the north bank to secure a beachhead, rather than wait for a helicopter to transport them across. The four swimmers were Sergeant Alden Conrad, Corporal Evan James, Corporal Joel Graves, and Sergeant Bradley S. Korthaus.
It was during this fording of the Saddam Canal that Bradley S. Korthaus was killed by drowning. The four Marines stripped down as much of their gear as they could in order to be able to swim safely to the north bank. Unfortunately, they still had to endure thirty to forty pounds of equipment while they swam, including heavy Gor-Tex combat boots. It was these combat boots, combined with the sucking mud at the bottom of the canal, that led to Korthaus’ and James’ drownings. During the swim, Korthaus’ and James’ boots became waterlogged, and it was as if the two were swimming in cement shoes. Both seemingly tried to propel themselves off the canal floor as they were dragged down by the weight of their boots and gear, where they were caught in the sucking mud. The two were stuck to the canal floor, where they tragically drowned despite their comrades’ efforts to save them. Their bodies were later freed from the canal and its mud by Navy divers, and returned to their homes in America.
A military investigation was held by Lieutenant Colonel J.A. Hogberg to determine whether Capt. Leonhardt’s decision to send swimmers across the Saddam Canal was justified. The investigation determined the deaths of Korthaus and James to be unfortunate accidents of war; Leonhardt’s decision was justified given the potential danger behind the north bank’s ridge, and the sucking mud of the Saddam Canal could not have been anticipated. Korthaus’ family was distraught upon receiving news of their son’s death in Iraq, with his father Steve developing a gallbladder problem. Nevertheless, Korthaus’ mother Marilyn stated that she was not angry with Korthaus’ superiors, “I can’t see myself going off the deep end trying to change things… he wouldn’t want us to place blame.” Korthaus was survived by his parents, siblings, extended family, and his fiancee Barbi Schneckloth, who he planned to marry upon his return from Iraq.
Korthaus was buried with full military honors at the National Cemetery, Rock Island Arsenal on April 6th, 2003. He was awarded posthumous journeymanship as a plumber by his employers at Ryan & Associates, Inc. In honor of Korthaus, baseball field no. 2 in Davenport’s Ridgeview Park was renamed ‘Korthaus Field’ at the Little League Hometown Heroes Day Picnic ceremony on May 17th, 2003. League President Keith Byars Jr. honored the heroics of Korthaus and his comrades in Iraq with the following eulogy, “It is because of men and women like Korthaus that millions of people enjoy Little League baseball and softball… None of these people are drafted; they are volunteers who willingly take on the task of protecting us and often with little recognition.”
Capt. William C. Leonhardt convenes his squad leaders to decide on a plan of sending swimmers across the canal in order to secure it. Time was of the essence, as groups of Iraqis were massing on the north bank of the canal, and there may have been weapons or hostiles behind a 15 ft. ridge on the north bank. (Des Moines)
Korthaus drowned on March 24th, 2003 trying to ford the Saddam Canal, east of the contested city of Nasiriyah alongside three fellow Marines: Sgt. Alden Conrad, Cpl. Evan James, and Cpl. Joel Graves. Cpl. James also drowned. (Des Moines)
Their drownings likely resulted in their Gor-Tex combat boots becoming waterlogged. The result was like swimming with concrete shoes, and their 30 to 40 pounds of equipment added to the force pulling them underwater. They became stuck in deep, sticky mud by their boots when they tried to propel themselves above water by pushing off the ground. (Des Moines)
An investigation was held by Lt. Col. J.A. Hogberg. It was decided that the deaths of Korthaus and James were unfortunate accidents of war; given the possibility of enemy threats emerging on the other end of the bank from behind a fifteen foot ridge, the necessity of securing the north bank of the canal justified the decision to send swimmers instead of calling and waiting for a helicopter to transport them over the canal. (Des Moines)
Korthaus’ family was distraught upon receiving news of their son’s death in Iraq, his father Steve developing a gallbladder problem. Nevertheless, Korthaus’ mother Marilyn stated she was not angry with Korthaus’ superiors, “I can’t see myself going off the deep end trying to change things… he wouldn’t want us to place blame.”
Korthaus was buried with full military honors at the National Cemetery, Rock Island Arsenal on April 6th, 2003. He was awarded posthumous journeymanship as a plumber by his employers at Ryan & Associates, Inc.
In honor of Korthaus, baseball field no. 2 in Davenport’s Ridgeview Park was renamed ‘Korthaus Field’ at the Little League Hometown Heroes Day Picnic ceremony on May 17th, 2003. League President Keith Byars Jr. honored the heroics of Korthaus and his comrades in Iraq with the following eulogy, “It is because of men and women like Korthaus that millions of people enjoy Little League baseball and softball… None of these people are drafted; they are volunteers who willingly take on the task of protecting us and often with little recognition.”


BRADLEY S KORTHAUS

Service

PERSIAN GULF

PURPLE HEART

US MARINE CORPS,

SGT

Resting Place

Mementos

Tributes

Word Cloud

Biography

Milestones

Mementos

Historical Documents

Veteran programs and services

More VA resources

Get VA updates

In crisis? Get help now

Contact us