Trustee mourns cousin, Maj. Thomas Kennedy, killed in Afghanistan

By Geri Corey
WEST POINT — He was a man who led a double life. He was a major in the army who served two terms fighting in Iraq and one in Korea, but he was also a humble man who always thought of his family’s well-being, making sure they didn’t worry. New City native Maj. Thomas Kennedy, 35, returned to the Middle East to serve a fourth tour of duty, this time in Afghanistan. A suicide bomber killed him on Aug. 8 in his second week of a five and a half month tour.
Thomas Kennedy was all about the corps.
“He was a team leader and had the American spirit,” said Kennedy’s cousin, Rory Brady, a lifelong Goshen resident and attorney who is now serving as a village trustee. But it wasn’t until his death that Brady realized the full extent of the life his cousin led.
Calling a ceremony at West Point dedicated to remembering Kennedy “an overwhelming experience,” Brady said he remembered the family get-togethers and holidays he spent with his cousin, but he learned that day that Kennedy’s life was much bigger than that. Brady spoke with colonels and generals and heard the positive effect that his cousin had on his fellow soldiers.
“He was my cousin, but he meant so much more to so many other people,” Brady reflected.
This realization was backed by the numerous emails Brady received from people from around the world, like New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, and England, sharing stories of how his cousin influenced their lives with his insight and thoughtful ways.
Growing up in an extended family that included 11 male cousins, the camaraderie and bonding within the boys was great. But it was Tommy who Brady was closest with. “I was the youngest and TK — as he was usually called — was next, just a year older than me,” said Brady, adding, “He had a profound effect on my life.”
All the cousins went to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J.
“I was the new kid, just 13, taking the train to Don Bosco, but TK was there to meet me. He took me under his wing,” Brady said. “We were competitors but in a fun way. The first time I drove a car, I was with Tommy,” said Brady, deep in thought recalling vivid memories of the good times with his cousin.
In 1996, Kennedy left Don Bosco for Salisbury Prep in Connecticut; after graduation he went to West Point, graduating in 2000, then enlisting as an Army Ranger.
The last time Brady heard his cousin’s voice was in a phone message giving him encouragement for his upcoming bar examination that he was facing. “Here he was at the airport ready to be deployed and he was thinking of me. That’s the way he was,” said Brady.
Brady called his trip to West Point for the ceremony “an awful experience — really tough,” but he reveals that his cousin wouldn’t want the family to be living with regret and remorse. Said Brady, “He’d want us to celebrate his life, and that’s what we’re doing.”
To aid Kennedy’s wife, Kami, and two young children, twins Brody and Maggie, who are not quite two years old, a Don Bosco Prep classmate Jim Finn, set up an online fundraising site on YouCaring.com. To date, more than 15,000 donors have contributed nearly $350,000. To read caring comments from many people touched by Kennedy and his accomplishments or to donate, go to YouCaring.com and insert Thomas Kennedy to go to the “Kennedy’s Angels” site.
“This is amazing,” said Brady. After the information was on Facebook, it was tweeted to many people, including political and sports figures. From there it was retweeted and went viral. “People are interested in knowing more about him and made an effort to aggressively get the word out—people like Justin Tuck of the NY Giants and Brad Richards, NY Rangers, and comedian Joe Rogan among others,” Brady explained.
The outpouring of support from his home community touches Brady and his family. He and his wife, Beth, have one son, Dylan, 4. Brady is the son of Goshen attorney Bernard Brady and Lorraine Brady, sister of TK’s father.
“It’s mind boggling, the flowers, letters of condolence,” he commented, adding, “It won’t bring him back but it’s a comfort. Support means a lot."
“I’m angry that I lost my cousin, but I realize that there are choices in life that we make,” said Brady. “Tommy was a hero to us before he stepped on foreign soil.”
Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy, a decorated 12-year veteran, was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division, U. S. Army, based at Fort Carson, Colorado. He died at the hands of a suicide bomber in Sarkowi in Afghanistan’s Kumar Province. He and his wife Kami had just purchased a home in Colorado, moving there from West Point.