William J. Bainbridge

Fallen Hero’s Hometown and State: Annapolis, MD

Branch of Service: U.S. Army

Rank: Major

William Bainbridge enlisted in the Army when he was 17 years old. He completed graduate and law school at night, despite interruptions resulting from his military service, which included tours in The Persian Gulf and Iraq. He earned the Omar Bradley Award, the Bronze Star and the Legion of Merit.

A year after retiring from the U.S. Army, Bill was diagnosed with cancer resulting from his final deployment. He underwent over 15 courses of chemo, multiple surgeries and never stopped fighting. He loved reading to his children Matthew and Elizabeth every night, attending their concerts and projects. He would always show the oncologists their pictures as a reminder of who he was fighting for.

Bill had a few mantras; “Stay in your lane” was one, “Live like you are going to live” was another. But the one he said every morning was, “Today is a good day. God is good because I am alive.” No matter how tough his battle, how discouraging the news, he always had a positive outlook, and never complained. “He was the strongest man I knew,” remembers his wife Maggie.

Age: 49

Date of Death: October 30, 2015