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‘Valley mourns loss of veterans advocate,’ July 15

Maurice Bailey never quit on life or on Alaska veterans. From the time he forged his father’s signature on the consent form to join the Army at age 17 until his death July 13, Bailey was a passionate patriot and advocate for veterans of all eras.

For the last two years of his life, Bailey lived every day like it could be his last following a devastating diagnosis. He had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and his survival was estimated at 12 months on the outside. In an interview and Valley Life feature with the Frontiersman November 2009, he had already outlived that prognosis by four months.

“I feel as though I’m probably on somebody else’s time, but that’s OK,” he said. “I’ll just borrow somebody else’s next. There is no quit. No way. No how. I’m never going to prepare myself to die. Never. I’m going to die when I’m supposed to.”

The 71-year-old Army pilot and mechanic spent the last part of his life working for veterans as co-founder of Veterans Aviation Outreach, an organization that identifies veterans in Bush areas of the state and connects them with benefits they’ve earned. He was also president of the Mat-Su chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America. His efforts were recognized in 2007 when he was presented the Alaska Governor’s Veterans Advocacy Award.

News of his passing drew comments from his admirers, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, whose written statement urged others to continue Bailey’s work.

Dave Glenn shared a bond with Bailey only another veteran would understand, he said. Glenn is owner of Grasshopper Aviation in Wasilla, and with Bailey founded Veterans Aviation Outreach. When his friend died, Glenn said he wasn’t surprised, but was sad.

“I remember him mostly as a fellow veteran sharing a common cause and helping the new veterans,” he said. “He was a compassionate person who was always interested in helping veterans. That was his sole mission.”

Bailey recalled one close call he had on a night mission serving in Vietnam as a gunner on an aircraft.

“I had passed out,” he said. “It was what they called an emergency mission. I was sleepy, plus I’d been at the beer garden. I was full of Pabst Blue Ribbon. In my little cubby hole in the helicopter, I passed out in the middle of a firefight. When I got back the next day, I looked and there were bullet holes all around where my head would’ve been.”

At the end of his interview, Bailey said he was a realist and knew that eventually leukemia would take his life. He offered advice for others in dire straits.

“Don’t take anything as a death sentence. Don’t do it,” he said. “I was in the Army for 20 years. There’s no such word in my vocabulary as ‘quit.’ No surrender here, and leave no veteran behind.”