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I knew Ed Bradley as a very tough competitor and as a compassionate human being. He arrived in Vietnam for CBS about a year after I joined the staff of NBC News in Saigon. If you were up against Ed on a story, you were on your toes because you knew he was always looking for ways to hammer the opposition. When Saigon was about to fall to the communist North Vietnamese in April 1975, both Ed Bradley and I had volunteered to go back to cover the end of the Vietnam war for our respective networks.
On April 29, as the word came that Americans were being evacuated from Saigon, Ed tried to tie up all the outgoing long-distance phone circuits from the besieged capital so that the other networks would have problems filing live reports by telephone. One of my NBC News colleagues almost got in a fist fight with Bradley, who protested his innocence.
Bradley was also capable of acts of great kindness. There were plenty of stories about how he came to the aid of people wounded in battle. The most famous example of Bradley's compassion occurred in 1978 when he and his camera crew were photographing the "boat people" escaping from Vietnam. Many of the boats, overloaded with men, women and small children, were foundering in the South China sea. At one point, Bradley waded out into waist-deep water and hauled the boat to safety on shore.
Some fellow journalists criticized Bradley for getting personally involved in the story. But as a journalist, Ed Bradley was also a human being who could not stand by while fellow humans drowned.
Today, as I was sharing memories of Ed with others, one thing emerged: He was a giant in this business and a helluva class act.
Read more from George Lewis
Navigating the memories of a veteran
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It shows what a class act Ed Bradley was that people like you at his competition can show such class back by posting such wonderful tributes to him. Thank you for being so kind and showing love to a man I grew up watching on TV in the deep South as a white boy...and saw that maybe there was hope for our racism-divided nation if a black man could get that far and do it so well. I miss him already. Godspeed, Mr. B., and thank you from all your millions of viewers.
Matt Leger, Atlanta, GA (Sent Nov 9, 2006 11:02:57 PM)
I'll miss Ed Bradley for some reason for years I would always say " I'm Ed Bradley, I'm Jackie Rawlings tonight on 60 minutes" Like the other greats Ed will always be remembered as the best that journalism had to offer. Bless his family as Ed has millions that love him and will miss him too.
Jackie Rawlings Riverside California (Sent Nov 9, 2006 10:05:22 PM)
Thanks for those words Mr. Lewis. I have watched Ed for a lot of years and have always been entertained by his interviews. My sympathies go out to his wife and family. He will be missed.
Randy Nopasri, San Diego, CA (Sent Nov 9, 2006 7:20:57 PM)
George, thanks for this Blog entry and Brian, thanks for the on air tribute. Ed was a year younger than I so his passing really hits home.
Morrison Vogt, Orlando, Florida (Sent Nov 9, 2006 7:14:38 PM)
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