A farewell to David Bloom
PUSSSYKATT
NY DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw had a message for God yesterday in the eulogy for
his late colleague, David Bloom.
"If you want to know what's going on in your kingdom, check with David," Brokaw
said at a funeral for Bloom. "By now he has all the names and all the phone
numbers."
Before a packed St. Patrick's Cathedral, Brokaw described Bloom — known for
his tireless reporting — as "a model for his generation of journalist. He was
simply the best."
Bloom, 39, died April 5 of a pulmonary embolism while covering the war in Iraq.
In the weeks before his death, he distinguished himself with the reports he
delivered while traveling with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.
Bloom's star was on the rise, thanks to a vehicle he helped design that enabled
the transmission of high-quality video while moving across the desert.
"It was the instrument," Brokaw said of the "Bloommobile," as it was dubbed,
"but David was the essential element.
"Just as Edward R. Murrow transformed radio reporting during World War II by
putting microphones at street level, so Americans could hear the unhurried
steps of Londoners as they walked calmly into a tube station during a bombing
raid, our David transformed TV reporting by taking you inside an armored
division while it swept across the desert," said Brokaw.
Bloom was aware of the risk he was taking with his war assignment. The Rev.
Father Matthew McGinness, a family friend, said Bloom told him the night before
he left for Kuwait City that he was prepared to face death.
"You're afraid God will take you," McGinness said to Bloom.
"Yes," Bloom replied. "But I'm ready and I'm okay."
Bloom's thoughts were never far from home. While setting a new standard for TV
war coverage, his E-mail messages to friends and relatives from the battle zone
frequently professed love for his wife, Melanie, and their three young
daughters.
Rows of St. Patrick's were filled with well-known faces from the TV news world,
many of them wiping away tears during the Mass, which included a musical number
from trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Jane Pauley, Peter Jennings, Brian
Williams and Tim Russert were among those who said goodbye to their colleague.
New York Gov. Pataki, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and White House press
secretary Ari Fleischer also attended the Mass, offered by Archbishop Edward
Cardinal Egan.
* * *
NEW YORK (AP) — NBC News correspondent David Bloom, who died while covering
the war in Iraq, was eulogized at his funeral Wednesday as a modern-day Ernie
Pyle who had a spiritual awakening before his death.
Bloom, 39, the weekend anchor of "Today" and a former White House
correspondent, died of an apparent blood clot April 6 while embedded with a
military unit in Iraq.
Equipped with a special vehicle, called the "Bloom-mobile," that allowed NBC to
transmit remarkably clear pictures of him riding atop a tank in the Iraqi
desert, Bloom was one of the most visible TV correspondents covering the war.
"David was the Ernie Pyle of his generation," NBC anchor Tom Brokaw said,
comparing his colleague to the legendary newspaperman who covered World War II.
Brokaw praised Bloom's "boyish enthusiasm," storytelling ability and thirst for
covering big stories.
"David had a lot of great ideas — none better than the 'Bloom-mobile,' which
transported him and transformed war reporting," the veteran NBC anchorman said.
Bloom's funeral was at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral, less than a block
from his NBC News office. New York's archbishop, Cardinal Edward Egan, recalled
Bloom attending Sunday Mass there after his "Today" show duties.
Parts of the funeral were shown on MSNBC, CNN and Fox News Channel. New York
Gov. George Pataki, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, former New York
City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, ABC anchorman Peter Jennings, CBS newsman Ed Bradley
and much of NBC's on-air staff were among the mourners.
Bloom is survived by his wife, Melanie, and three daughters.
Also eulogized by two brothers and his best friend, Bloom was described as a
man who had battled personal problems in recent years and was at peace with the
prospect of dying in Iraq.
Hours before he died, he wrote an e-mail to Melanie saying the experience of
covering the war had transformed him, leading him to realize that nothing
mattered more than his relationship with her and their daughters, said his
older brother, John Bloom.
He quoted Bloom's last message to his wife: "Here I am, supposedly at the peak
of professional success, and I can frankly care less."
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FlipFlopsSox
remember him from)?
Andrea
It's all about the Ride
Poznaznorml
SNIP
>Also eulogized by two brothers and his best friend, Bloom was described as a
>man who had battled personal problems in recent years and was at peace with
>the
>prospect of dying in Iraq.
>
Any idea what type of "personal problems" they are referring to here? When
David died, one of my friends was trying to convince me that she'd heard rumors
about him but I didn't believe her....now I want to prove her wrong.
maryanne kehoe
I think the "personal problems" referred to a period of heavy drinking
in his life, but get a jouno away from the wife and kids and many of 'em
will put away liquor like there's no tomorrow.
Maryanne---gets nervous when I hear about any journalist killed over in
the war zone, a friend of mine is in Qatar right now
edonline
David Bloom supposedly had a sexual addiction and either had gotten
treatment for it or at least had gotten it under control.
Wee Bit Strange
> >man who had battled personal problems in recent years and was at peace with
> >the
> >prospect of dying in Iraq.
Back in 2001, it was reported in the Star that he had gone into a
treatment center to control his sex addiction.
--Amy
robyn friedman
maryanne kehoe at atl...@webtv.net wrote on 4/17/03 9:15 PM:
I heard Bloom was recent converted to Catholicim. I noted the funeral mass
at St. Pats.
I'm guessing he had been Jewish. Anyone?
I violently loathe the Strokes and everything about them. Rock and roll
(which incidentally is actually a very cool and MORE important thing than to
scream in public) was never meant to be about the Groovy Peeps. It's about
the geeks.......Alex Kane, Anti-Product Singer
robyn friedman
at wee_bit...@yahoo.com wrote on 4/18/03 12:31 AM:
With the implication that he was cheating on his wife?
FeAudrey
punkrockn...@yahooo.com says...
>
>
>I heard Bloom was recent converted to Catholicim. I noted the funeral mass
>at St. Pats.
>
>I'm guessing he had been Jewish. Anyone?
Methodist
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/chuckcolson/cc20030417.shtml
(casual mention; couldn't find an obit on a free site for a more official
word)
--
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