Ruben Javier Enriquez – State Department Official Private, United States Marine Corps Sergeant, United States Army

Born at El Paso, Texas, December 6, 1943, he served for two years in the United States Marine Corps and then with the United States Army in Vietnam during the war there. During his military service he was the recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

Following his military service, he served as a Police Officer in his hometown and in 1969 joined the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department as a Police Officer and, later, as a Detective. During his career, he also served as a Special Agent for the Community Services Administration, as a Senior Inspector with the United States Department of Commerce, as a Special Agent at the Government Printing Office. Finally, commencing in 1990, he was a Senior Inspector with the Inspector General’s Office of the United States Deprtment of State. He was also an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

He died on February 2, 1997 of lung cancer, a disease which was apparently brought on by his contact with the chemical Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam. He was interred with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.

Thanks to his daughter, Christina Enriquez, for providing the information on her Father!

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard