The Loss of a Knight
★☆★Vietnam Army Casualty★☆★
Eddie was awarded the following medals: Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service, and Vietnam Campaign.
Eddie was my high school classmate. He was two years ahead of me, but we shared several classes together at Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was a 1967 graduate and entered the Army shortly thereafter. I graduated in 1969 and can still recall the pain of his loss - the day after Valentine's of that same year.
Our school mascot is a knight on horseback and our colors are patriotic - scarlet, white, and royal blue - Woodlawn Knights. With Barksdale Air Force Base next door to Shreveport, this area has always given huge support to our troops, even in those dark days of Vietnam. To be honest, our school spirit and patriotic pride were foremost, followed by our studies.
Eddie was a light-hearted, fun-filled guy. Oh, how he could laugh and play the typical school boy pranks. He was a friend to all. Eddie's smile was brilliant; it could light up an entire room. I can still hear the ring of his laughter.
The black and white photo is of Eddie and his tracking dog, Rigger (4A56), of 76th IPCT (Infantry Platoon Combat Tracker). The photo was taken a few days before he was killed in action. (Photo is used with permission from Combat Tracker Team and the ♦information below of Eddie's last day♦ is courtesy of Tom Verhelle of 76th IPCT.)
♦Eddie was Rigger's handler at the 76th CTT (Combat Tracker Teams). He was one member of two complete teams assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. During 1969 the 199th Light Infantry Brigade was responsible for the security of the region North and East of the Saigon capital. This included Bien Hoa, Long Binh, Bear Cat, and Vung Tau.
Tom Verhelle of 76th IPCT attached to the 199th LIB was tracking when he and Eddie came upon a small base camp. Eddie gave Tom Rigger to hold while he covered Bill Stockell when Eddie tripped a booby trap. Eddie died instantly; Stockell's arm was broken and had injured his leg as well. Tom always felt that Eddie had saved his life that dreadful day.♦
The world lost a sweet and wonderful, bright, brave young man the day he was taken from us. The entire school grieved over Eddie's loss.
We (the students) pooled our money and had a monument erected as our gift to our school and our brave classmates who fought and died in Vietnam for the defense of freedom. Eddie's name is the fourth down, the last WHS Vietnam casualty. (Please note that the date of his loss is engraved incorrectly on the monument; it reads 1967, should be 1969.)
Our Eddie, forever lost to us, forever young, forever in our hearts.
The inscription on the monument reads:
In Honored Memory
of Those Who
Died in Defense
of Freedom
DEDICATED BY THE STUDENTS
OF WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL
MAY 14, 1969
Many thanks to Billy M Brown for the transferal of this memorial to me.
Eddie is listed on The Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Thanks, Bill!
PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Shreveport, LA
Date of birth: 03/14/1948
MILITARY DATA
Service: Army of the United States
Grade at loss: E4
Rank: Specialist Four
ID No: 15980388
MOS: 11F40: Infantry Operations And Intelligence Specialist
Length Service: 00
Unit: 76TH INF PLT CBT TRACKER, 199TH INFANTRY BDE, USARV
CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: 09/20/1968
Incident Date: 02/15/1969
Casualty Date: 02/15/1969
Age at Loss: 20
Location: Hau Nghia Province, South Vietnam
Remains: Body recovered
Casualty Type: Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason: Ground casualty
Casualty Detail: Other explosive device
ON THE WALL Panel 32W Line 036
An aside interest: As a public outreach effort, over one million names were collected and engraved on two microchips (numbered #1 & #2), and carried on the STARDUST spacecraft that was launched February 7, 1999. Two copies of each chip were installed on the spacecraft. Two of the microchips were inside the Sample Return Capsule and were returned back to Earth with the capsule when it landed in Utah on January 15, 2006. The capsule, along with the microchips, were transported to the curation facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on January 17, 2006, where they currently reside. The other two chips are on the spacecraft body and will remain in space forever. Eddie's name is on Microchip #2. This information can be easily located by doing a web search on the spacecraft, STARDUST.
★☆★Vietnam Army Casualty★☆★
Eddie was awarded the following medals: Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service, and Vietnam Campaign.
Eddie was my high school classmate. He was two years ahead of me, but we shared several classes together at Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was a 1967 graduate and entered the Army shortly thereafter. I graduated in 1969 and can still recall the pain of his loss - the day after Valentine's of that same year.
Our school mascot is a knight on horseback and our colors are patriotic - scarlet, white, and royal blue - Woodlawn Knights. With Barksdale Air Force Base next door to Shreveport, this area has always given huge support to our troops, even in those dark days of Vietnam. To be honest, our school spirit and patriotic pride were foremost, followed by our studies.
Eddie was a light-hearted, fun-filled guy. Oh, how he could laugh and play the typical school boy pranks. He was a friend to all. Eddie's smile was brilliant; it could light up an entire room. I can still hear the ring of his laughter.
The black and white photo is of Eddie and his tracking dog, Rigger (4A56), of 76th IPCT (Infantry Platoon Combat Tracker). The photo was taken a few days before he was killed in action. (Photo is used with permission from Combat Tracker Team and the ♦information below of Eddie's last day♦ is courtesy of Tom Verhelle of 76th IPCT.)
♦Eddie was Rigger's handler at the 76th CTT (Combat Tracker Teams). He was one member of two complete teams assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. During 1969 the 199th Light Infantry Brigade was responsible for the security of the region North and East of the Saigon capital. This included Bien Hoa, Long Binh, Bear Cat, and Vung Tau.
Tom Verhelle of 76th IPCT attached to the 199th LIB was tracking when he and Eddie came upon a small base camp. Eddie gave Tom Rigger to hold while he covered Bill Stockell when Eddie tripped a booby trap. Eddie died instantly; Stockell's arm was broken and had injured his leg as well. Tom always felt that Eddie had saved his life that dreadful day.♦
The world lost a sweet and wonderful, bright, brave young man the day he was taken from us. The entire school grieved over Eddie's loss.
We (the students) pooled our money and had a monument erected as our gift to our school and our brave classmates who fought and died in Vietnam for the defense of freedom. Eddie's name is the fourth down, the last WHS Vietnam casualty. (Please note that the date of his loss is engraved incorrectly on the monument; it reads 1967, should be 1969.)
Our Eddie, forever lost to us, forever young, forever in our hearts.
The inscription on the monument reads:
In Honored Memory
of Those Who
Died in Defense
of Freedom
DEDICATED BY THE STUDENTS
OF WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL
MAY 14, 1969
Many thanks to Billy M Brown for the transferal of this memorial to me.
Eddie is listed on The Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Thanks, Bill!
PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Shreveport, LA
Date of birth: 03/14/1948
MILITARY DATA
Service: Army of the United States
Grade at loss: E4
Rank: Specialist Four
ID No: 15980388
MOS: 11F40: Infantry Operations And Intelligence Specialist
Length Service: 00
Unit: 76TH INF PLT CBT TRACKER, 199TH INFANTRY BDE, USARV
CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: 09/20/1968
Incident Date: 02/15/1969
Casualty Date: 02/15/1969
Age at Loss: 20
Location: Hau Nghia Province, South Vietnam
Remains: Body recovered
Casualty Type: Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason: Ground casualty
Casualty Detail: Other explosive device
ON THE WALL Panel 32W Line 036
An aside interest: As a public outreach effort, over one million names were collected and engraved on two microchips (numbered #1 & #2), and carried on the STARDUST spacecraft that was launched February 7, 1999. Two copies of each chip were installed on the spacecraft. Two of the microchips were inside the Sample Return Capsule and were returned back to Earth with the capsule when it landed in Utah on January 15, 2006. The capsule, along with the microchips, were transported to the curation facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on January 17, 2006, where they currently reside. The other two chips are on the spacecraft body and will remain in space forever. Eddie's name is on Microchip #2. This information can be easily located by doing a web search on the spacecraft, STARDUST.
The Loss of a Knight
★☆★Vietnam Army Casualty★☆★
Eddie was awarded the following medals: Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service, and Vietnam Campaign.
Eddie was my high school classmate. He was two years ahead of me, but we shared several classes together at Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was a 1967 graduate and entered the Army shortly thereafter. I graduated in 1969 and can still recall the pain of his loss - the day after Valentine's of that same year.
Our school mascot is a knight on horseback and our colors are patriotic - scarlet, white, and royal blue - Woodlawn Knights. With Barksdale Air Force Base next door to Shreveport, this area has always given huge support to our troops, even in those dark days of Vietnam. To be honest, our school spirit and patriotic pride were foremost, followed by our studies.
Eddie was a light-hearted, fun-filled guy. Oh, how he could laugh and play the typical school boy pranks. He was a friend to all. Eddie's smile was brilliant; it could light up an entire room. I can still hear the ring of his laughter.
The black and white photo is of Eddie and his tracking dog, Rigger (4A56), of 76th IPCT (Infantry Platoon Combat Tracker). The photo was taken a few days before he was killed in action. (Photo is used with permission from Combat Tracker Team and the ♦information below of Eddie's last day♦ is courtesy of Tom Verhelle of 76th IPCT.)
♦Eddie was Rigger's handler at the 76th CTT (Combat Tracker Teams). He was one member of two complete teams assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. During 1969 the 199th Light Infantry Brigade was responsible for the security of the region North and East of the Saigon capital. This included Bien Hoa, Long Binh, Bear Cat, and Vung Tau.
Tom Verhelle of 76th IPCT attached to the 199th LIB was tracking when he and Eddie came upon a small base camp. Eddie gave Tom Rigger to hold while he covered Bill Stockell when Eddie tripped a booby trap. Eddie died instantly; Stockell's arm was broken and had injured his leg as well. Tom always felt that Eddie had saved his life that dreadful day.♦
The world lost a sweet and wonderful, bright, brave young man the day he was taken from us. The entire school grieved over Eddie's loss.
We (the students) pooled our money and had a monument erected as our gift to our school and our brave classmates who fought and died in Vietnam for the defense of freedom. Eddie's name is the fourth down, the last WHS Vietnam casualty. (Please note that the date of his loss is engraved incorrectly on the monument; it reads 1967, should be 1969.)
Our Eddie, forever lost to us, forever young, forever in our hearts.
The inscription on the monument reads:
In Honored Memory
of Those Who
Died in Defense
of Freedom
DEDICATED BY THE STUDENTS
OF WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL
MAY 14, 1969
Many thanks to Billy M Brown for the transferal of this memorial to me.
Eddie is listed on The Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Thanks, Bill!
PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Shreveport, LA
Date of birth: 03/14/1948
MILITARY DATA
Service: Army of the United States
Grade at loss: E4
Rank: Specialist Four
ID No: 15980388
MOS: 11F40: Infantry Operations And Intelligence Specialist
Length Service: 00
Unit: 76TH INF PLT CBT TRACKER, 199TH INFANTRY BDE, USARV
CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: 09/20/1968
Incident Date: 02/15/1969
Casualty Date: 02/15/1969
Age at Loss: 20
Location: Hau Nghia Province, South Vietnam
Remains: Body recovered
Casualty Type: Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason: Ground casualty
Casualty Detail: Other explosive device
ON THE WALL Panel 32W Line 036
An aside interest: As a public outreach effort, over one million names were collected and engraved on two microchips (numbered #1 & #2), and carried on the STARDUST spacecraft that was launched February 7, 1999. Two copies of each chip were installed on the spacecraft. Two of the microchips were inside the Sample Return Capsule and were returned back to Earth with the capsule when it landed in Utah on January 15, 2006. The capsule, along with the microchips, were transported to the curation facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on January 17, 2006, where they currently reside. The other two chips are on the spacecraft body and will remain in space forever. Eddie's name is on Microchip #2. This information can be easily located by doing a web search on the spacecraft, STARDUST.
★☆★Vietnam Army Casualty★☆★
Eddie was awarded the following medals: Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service, and Vietnam Campaign.
Eddie was my high school classmate. He was two years ahead of me, but we shared several classes together at Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was a 1967 graduate and entered the Army shortly thereafter. I graduated in 1969 and can still recall the pain of his loss - the day after Valentine's of that same year.
Our school mascot is a knight on horseback and our colors are patriotic - scarlet, white, and royal blue - Woodlawn Knights. With Barksdale Air Force Base next door to Shreveport, this area has always given huge support to our troops, even in those dark days of Vietnam. To be honest, our school spirit and patriotic pride were foremost, followed by our studies.
Eddie was a light-hearted, fun-filled guy. Oh, how he could laugh and play the typical school boy pranks. He was a friend to all. Eddie's smile was brilliant; it could light up an entire room. I can still hear the ring of his laughter.
The black and white photo is of Eddie and his tracking dog, Rigger (4A56), of 76th IPCT (Infantry Platoon Combat Tracker). The photo was taken a few days before he was killed in action. (Photo is used with permission from Combat Tracker Team and the ♦information below of Eddie's last day♦ is courtesy of Tom Verhelle of 76th IPCT.)
♦Eddie was Rigger's handler at the 76th CTT (Combat Tracker Teams). He was one member of two complete teams assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. During 1969 the 199th Light Infantry Brigade was responsible for the security of the region North and East of the Saigon capital. This included Bien Hoa, Long Binh, Bear Cat, and Vung Tau.
Tom Verhelle of 76th IPCT attached to the 199th LIB was tracking when he and Eddie came upon a small base camp. Eddie gave Tom Rigger to hold while he covered Bill Stockell when Eddie tripped a booby trap. Eddie died instantly; Stockell's arm was broken and had injured his leg as well. Tom always felt that Eddie had saved his life that dreadful day.♦
The world lost a sweet and wonderful, bright, brave young man the day he was taken from us. The entire school grieved over Eddie's loss.
We (the students) pooled our money and had a monument erected as our gift to our school and our brave classmates who fought and died in Vietnam for the defense of freedom. Eddie's name is the fourth down, the last WHS Vietnam casualty. (Please note that the date of his loss is engraved incorrectly on the monument; it reads 1967, should be 1969.)
Our Eddie, forever lost to us, forever young, forever in our hearts.
The inscription on the monument reads:
In Honored Memory
of Those Who
Died in Defense
of Freedom
DEDICATED BY THE STUDENTS
OF WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL
MAY 14, 1969
Many thanks to Billy M Brown for the transferal of this memorial to me.
Eddie is listed on The Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Thanks, Bill!
PERSONAL DATA
Home of Record: Shreveport, LA
Date of birth: 03/14/1948
MILITARY DATA
Service: Army of the United States
Grade at loss: E4
Rank: Specialist Four
ID No: 15980388
MOS: 11F40: Infantry Operations And Intelligence Specialist
Length Service: 00
Unit: 76TH INF PLT CBT TRACKER, 199TH INFANTRY BDE, USARV
CASUALTY DATA
Start Tour: 09/20/1968
Incident Date: 02/15/1969
Casualty Date: 02/15/1969
Age at Loss: 20
Location: Hau Nghia Province, South Vietnam
Remains: Body recovered
Casualty Type: Hostile, died outright
Casualty Reason: Ground casualty
Casualty Detail: Other explosive device
ON THE WALL Panel 32W Line 036
An aside interest: As a public outreach effort, over one million names were collected and engraved on two microchips (numbered #1 & #2), and carried on the STARDUST spacecraft that was launched February 7, 1999. Two copies of each chip were installed on the spacecraft. Two of the microchips were inside the Sample Return Capsule and were returned back to Earth with the capsule when it landed in Utah on January 15, 2006. The capsule, along with the microchips, were transported to the curation facility at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on January 17, 2006, where they currently reside. The other two chips are on the spacecraft body and will remain in space forever. Eddie's name is on Microchip #2. This information can be easily located by doing a web search on the spacecraft, STARDUST.
Inscription
Headstone reads ...
EVERYTHING WORKS TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO HE HAS CALLED
Foot-stone reads ...
EDWARD ERLIN COX JR
LOUISIANA
SP4 76 INF DET 199 LT INF BDE
VIETNAM ARCOM & OLC PH
MARCH 14, 1948 FEB 15, 1969
