- Joined
- Oct 28, 1999
- Messages
- 1,563
Concealment holster maker Gary Brommeland posted this over on the CCW forum.....it is about a dear friend, mentor, and true warrior.
He was like a father to both of us....my best friend.
"Monday afternoon (23 October) I got a call informing me that my friend and mentor, William D. Whiteford had passed away suddenly that morning.
The reason I feel compelled to post this notice publicly is that Bill was THE ultimate "Cold Warrior" and every single American owes this man a huge debt of gratitude that will never be repaid. His story deserves to be made known.
His military career started in Vietnam, where he was recruited into the world of Special Operations. Although he was VERY reluctant to ever speak of his experiences, I know that he was involved in some of the blackest of black ops. He once confided in me that he had survived over 50 CQB engagements in his career, and he was probably the single deadliest, most capable human being I've ever encountered (yet he could easily be mistaken for an insurance salesman).
After Vietnam, he traveled the world pursuing his duties as a field agent for a particular government service. (He would never even admit to who he actually worked for, but would often just say that he was "from uncle", which I took to be a tongue and cheek reference to a cheesy spy show from the 60's called "The man from U.N.C.L.E".) Bill had a really weird sense of humor.
I met him in 1986 when he bought one of my early holsters. We became friends and as I learned of his "expertise", I asked him to serve as an informal design consultant. He was a pretty tough critic, and as he mentored me I suffered being called a "F***ing retard" (among other things) on more than one occasion, but he never, ever steered me wrong. Bill's skill, experience and expertise were incorporated into my holster designs and he was a big part of how and why they became known as "high performance" concealment gear. We spent many long (often VERY) long days experimenting and trying new ideas until the product line finally evolved into something that we were both satisfied with.
Bill was also the most honest, ethical guy I've ever met, and the most loyal of friends. He was old school, kinda gruff (sometimes REALLY gruff) and the kind of guy who would tell you the straight truth whether you liked it or not - but you could ALWAYS count on him to do the right thing - no matter what the cost. And as I alluded to before, he posessed a very keen (although dry and dark) wit. It was impossible to ever predict what would come out of his mouth, but the one thing I always knew was that it would be exactly what he thought - and he didn't really care how anyone else felt about it. More often than not, it would leave everyone present red faced, speechless or rolling on the floor (and often some combination of the above).
This man devoted his entire life to helping and protecting others. The world was certainly a much better place while he walked among us. Now that he is gone, there is a void in my heart that will never heal. He was my teacher, mentor, antagonist and friend. I will never be the same without him.
Rest in peace my friend. I'm gonna miss you."
He was like a father to both of us....my best friend.
"Monday afternoon (23 October) I got a call informing me that my friend and mentor, William D. Whiteford had passed away suddenly that morning.
The reason I feel compelled to post this notice publicly is that Bill was THE ultimate "Cold Warrior" and every single American owes this man a huge debt of gratitude that will never be repaid. His story deserves to be made known.
His military career started in Vietnam, where he was recruited into the world of Special Operations. Although he was VERY reluctant to ever speak of his experiences, I know that he was involved in some of the blackest of black ops. He once confided in me that he had survived over 50 CQB engagements in his career, and he was probably the single deadliest, most capable human being I've ever encountered (yet he could easily be mistaken for an insurance salesman).
After Vietnam, he traveled the world pursuing his duties as a field agent for a particular government service. (He would never even admit to who he actually worked for, but would often just say that he was "from uncle", which I took to be a tongue and cheek reference to a cheesy spy show from the 60's called "The man from U.N.C.L.E".) Bill had a really weird sense of humor.
I met him in 1986 when he bought one of my early holsters. We became friends and as I learned of his "expertise", I asked him to serve as an informal design consultant. He was a pretty tough critic, and as he mentored me I suffered being called a "F***ing retard" (among other things) on more than one occasion, but he never, ever steered me wrong. Bill's skill, experience and expertise were incorporated into my holster designs and he was a big part of how and why they became known as "high performance" concealment gear. We spent many long (often VERY) long days experimenting and trying new ideas until the product line finally evolved into something that we were both satisfied with.
Bill was also the most honest, ethical guy I've ever met, and the most loyal of friends. He was old school, kinda gruff (sometimes REALLY gruff) and the kind of guy who would tell you the straight truth whether you liked it or not - but you could ALWAYS count on him to do the right thing - no matter what the cost. And as I alluded to before, he posessed a very keen (although dry and dark) wit. It was impossible to ever predict what would come out of his mouth, but the one thing I always knew was that it would be exactly what he thought - and he didn't really care how anyone else felt about it. More often than not, it would leave everyone present red faced, speechless or rolling on the floor (and often some combination of the above).
This man devoted his entire life to helping and protecting others. The world was certainly a much better place while he walked among us. Now that he is gone, there is a void in my heart that will never heal. He was my teacher, mentor, antagonist and friend. I will never be the same without him.
Rest in peace my friend. I'm gonna miss you."
