From November 1955 until September 1957 he was assigned as the assistant inspector with aircraft, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia.

He remained in this role until December 1963 when the squadron returned to MCAS El Toro from Naval Air Station Atsugi, Japan.

He arrived in South Vietnam in October 1968 serving as the operations officer for Marine Aircraft Group 16 at Marble Mountain Airfield.

Newly promoted to colonel, his next assignment was as the commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Tustin, California, from August 1972 to July 1974.

On 15 May 1969, Lieutenant Colonel Brady launched as Aircraft Commander of a transport helicopter assigned the mission of medically evacuating several seriously wounded Marines from an area northwest of An Hoa in Quang Nam Province.

Arriving over the designated location, he was advised by the ground commander that the vastly outnumbered unit was surrounded by the enemy, some as close as thirty meters to the Marines' positions.

Fully aware of the dangers involved, and despite rapidly approaching darkness and deteriorating weather conditions, Lieutenant Colonel Brady elected to complete his mission.

As he commenced a high-speed, low-altitude approach to the confined zone, he came under a heavy volume of hostile automatic weapons fire which damaged his aircraft but did not deter him from landing.

Demonstrating superb airmanship, he then executed a series of evasive maneuvers as he lifted from the fire-swept zone, and subsequently delivered the casualties to the nearest medical facility.

By his courage, superior aeronautical ability, and unfaltering devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger, Lieutenant Colonel Brady upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.