Darlington’s American Legion hosts national commander
By Bobby Bryant, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
The national commander of the nearly 2 million-member American Legion stopped at Darlington’s American Legion Post 13 for a visit last Tuesday.
“We’re just spreading the Legion message and trying to excite and enthuse the membership,” said Bill Oxford of Lenoir, N.C., who was named to the post last year.
“Nationally, we’ve got over 13,000 Legion posts,” said Oxford. “This (Darlington’s Post 13) is one of 13,000.”
The Legion stands for “a strong Americanism, a strong national defense, our children and youth programs,” Oxford said.
“That’s who we are and what we do, just supporting those issues … just promoting and creating a more patriotic America.”
A veteran of the Marine Corps, Oxford served in Vietnam; after his discharge, he joined the N.C. National Guard, according to his official biography. He attended officer’s candidate school and transferred to the Army Reserve, where he retired as a colonel after more than 34 years of military service.
