Eduardo Oxford,Venezuela, B Company, 4th Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade (SEP)

In a VA hospital in Northern Florida. He suffered for many years from a degenerative brain disease. Much stronger than the evil of Parkinson, but as much as three times more powerful. According to a government stat found in documents about this disease and was accordingly caused by the exposure to Agent Orange.

Eduardo Oxford was a Buck Sergeant and 1st Squad Leader, Weapons Platoon, B Company 1st, 501st, 101st Airborne at Ft Campbell, Kentucky.

His first tour in ‘Nam, he deployed from Okinawa. He returned to the 101^st and was assigned to B Company and promoted to E-5. The experience he shared from his first tour went a long way in preparing others and me in the platoon to cope with life in country.

He went back with B/4/503d for his second tour. Ox stayed 6 months or so with B Company and then rotated out of the company with other NCOs from the original deployment. He was my squad leader at first and then I was left carrying the 81mm Mortar sight.

We heard later that Ox had gotten out of the Army and was in Venezuela, his home. My nephew, Gary, travels around the world (big time) and some years ago, while in Venezuela, he tried to locate Ox. He was unsuccessful--Ox was somewhere else, so they didn't link up. But, Gary did make contact with one of Ox’s sisters. Gary and the sister exchanged addresses. Nothing was heard for a couple of years. Then, Gary got a phone call from Ox’s sister who was in the States.

The sister told Gary that Ox had gotten sick and was in a Veteran's hospital in Orlando FL. Gary told her that he would immediately go to visit him. However, she told Gary not to bother--Ox didn't recognize his own family and wouldn't know who Gary was. He had contracted something which was causing him to mentally degenerate. The sister said the family was trying to get Ox moved back to Venezuela so he could die there.