NATO's Yellowknife connection
Capt. Frank Bradley's parents live in Yk

Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 08/99) - If you're looking for the definition of proud parents, look no further than the faces of Yellowknife educators Marie-Claire and Terry Bradley.

Their son Frank, 29, is a captain with the Canadian Armed Forces' 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron and has just returned to Canada after three months service overseas. An aeronautical engineer, Bradley was among 130 Canadian personnel supporting six CF-18 fighter-jets helping to enforce the no-fly zone over war-torn Bosnia.

"He told me there was nothing to worry about and I tried to believe him," his mother said in an interview this week. "We're very proud of him."

"He's an excellent leader," his dad adds.

Capt. Bradley studied at the prestigious Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario and has been serving officer in the Canadian Armed Forces since his graduation.

Only two years ago, he brought a group of Boy Scouts to the NWT and they worked on the construction of a Dene educational facility on the land near Dettah.

His parents -- Terry is principal at J.H. Sissons school and Marie-Claire is a teacher at Ecole Allain St. Cyr -- came to Yellowknife in 1991. With all their children in university, the pair of Ontarians decided it was high time they too embarked on an adventure.

They've been here ever since and are active in numerous outdoor sports including sailing and fishing in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter. The Bradleys have built themselves a camp outside the city.

While their son's safe arrival in Canada just before Christmas was good news, the family had other reasons to celebrate this year. Their daughter Nathalie Bradley-O'Brien, who also lives in Yellowknife, gave birth to a daughter Dec. 22.

Little Elise, the couple's fourth grandchild, was a happy addition to the family.