Beaufort’s Oscar Baldwin, 65, attended Robert Smalls School and Beaufort High School before moving to Louisville, Ky., and joining the United States Army in 1975. After basic training at Fort Jackson and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, he was stationed in Korea along the DMZ for two years where he patrolled the border as a mortar gunner. While there he earned a Black Belt in Jujitsu.
Baldwin returned to duty at Fort Stewart, from which he deployed to Panama. While at Fort Stewart he was field promoted to Specialist – 4 and was an All-Army boxer. In 1979, he was discharged to the Reserves and the next year he began working at the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington. He used the GI Bill to attend Howard University for two years before returning to Beaufort where he ran a mail order marketing business.
Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 9. For nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.
