re: John Mahaffey has died

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I saw him in a store a little over a year ago and I took the opportunity to tell him how I appreciated how he handled the Mike Miley situation when he was anchoring at WAFB.

He seemed to appreciate that someone remembered even though it cost him his job there.

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What was this story?

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I took the opportunity to tell him how I appreciated how he handled the Mike Miley situation when he was anchoring at WAFB.

He seemed to appreciate that someone remembered even though it cost him his job there.

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I was going to make a joke like "I never thought Miley was hot", but I looked him up. That was a bit before my time. How did his death cost Mahaffey his job?

While researching Miley I learned of Trey Prather, the QB from Woodlawn Shreveport -- his backup was a guy named Terry Bradshaw -- who played for LSU but left in 1967 to join the Marines.

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In early January, 1968, the North Vietnamese Army were massing their troops in advance of the Tet Offensive. At this time, PFC Prather served with Echo Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Marines (2/5) in Quang Nam Province, helping secure the infamous Liberty Bridge. The bridge was on a major and vital resupply route for Marine and Army convoys to supply other outposts out of Da Nang. The 2/5 has an illustrious history going back to the Great War and is the most decorated unit in the entire Marine Corps.

At night the enemy would plant mines and bobby traps along the convoy roads to disrupt the resupply missions. It was a common requirement for the 2/5 Marines to patrol the roads at sun-up in advance of the daily convoys to clear the roads of mines and booby traps set the night before.

In early January, having only been in country for a little over two months, PFC Prather triggered a box mine intended for a large vehicle a few kilometers south of the Liberty Bridge. Although medevaced, he died a couple days later on January 10th, in a Da Nang Hospital.

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I saw him in a store a little over a year ago and I took the opportunity to tell him how I appreciated how he handled the Mike Miley situation when he was anchoring at WAFB.

He seemed to appreciate that someone remembered even though it cost him his job there.




What was this story?

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Mike Miley, the former LSU football and baseball player, was killed in a single car accident on Highland Road late one night. He was the only person in the car.

About a month after Miley was killed and the funeral held, the state police toxicology report came back and it showed Miley was driving DUI which probably contributed to Miley's fatal accident.

During the show prep when Mahaffey saw the news copy reporting the toxicology report, he told his news boss that he didn't think it was appropriate to report it believing the family had suffered enough and the report would only sully the reputation of a well respected former LSU athlete.

Mahaffey's news boss told him it was news and to read it during the evening news broadcast.

During the live broadcast when Mahaffey came to that story, he simply flipped the copy page over skipping that story and went on to read the next story.

The next day the WAFB station manager fired him.

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The next day the WAFB station manager fired him.

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And it was forever WBRZ's gain.

Jay Young went the other direction, as I recall...from WBRZ to WAFB

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The Pastime Lounge is gonna have to go dark for awhile in his honor.....

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In this thread, Mahaffey has been noted as a regular at the following Baton Rouge watering holes (some extinct, some still serving):

Pastime
Southdowns
Happy Note
The Patio

I will add Ivar's to the list.

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I had never heard that story before.

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The only reason I'd heard the story was I had friend who worked at WBRZ (Ch. 2) and when they hired Mahaffey I asked him why they would hire an anchorman who had been let go by a competitor station. He then told me why Mahaffey had been fired from WAFB.

After that, I also heard it independently from some of the people at our company's ad agency who were familiar with all the TV stations, their "talent" and their station's ratings.

So, I had no reason to doubt the veracity of the story.

When I mentioned it to Mahaffey when I bumped into him and thanked him for it, he acknowledged it cost him his job but he said he'd never once regretted doing it because he still thought it was the right thing to do.

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Chyna Prince John Mahaffey

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3 male icons

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Chyna Prince John Mahaffey

3 male icons

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so you're including Prince?