- Staff Sgt. James Alford is dying from a rare disease
he caught during a Special Forces mission.
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- And doctors say there is no cure.
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- Sgt. Alford returned home from Iraq with a disease that
has ravaged his brain. His parents, Gail and John Alford live in Karnack,
TX. They are taking care of him now.
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- The family keeps photo albums that have captured the
favorable images of his high school athletic years and the Fort Campbell
Green Beret.
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- He was one of the army's youngest soldiers. But everything
changed after a secret mission three years ago in Oman when villagers honored
James with a banquet that included a sheep's brain infected with disease.
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- It wasn't until months later while James secretly suffered
headaches, memory loss, and mood swings, that the army took notice.
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- They reduced his rank and sent him to Fort Campbell for
court-martial.
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- Doctors later diagnosed James with Cruetzfeldt-Jakob
disease - the human form of Mad Cow.
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- James is the first patient in this country to receive
a new treatment that's supposed to slow the disease and even reverse its
effects.
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- His family, including his wife, Amber Alford stands by
him.
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- The military restored Sgt. Alford's rank and pay after
learning of the disease. Last week his commander from the 5th Special Forces
Group awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal.
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- It's the highest award given to soldiers for peacetime
service.
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- © 2004 NewsChannel5.com
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- http://www.newschannel5.com/content/news/5184.asp
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