Sgt. Campos' U.S. States Army page

Training

Assignments

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TRAINING

BASIC TRAINING: D-8-2-2, Fort Jackson, SC (15JUL86-23SEP86)
SINGLE CHANNEL RADIO OPERATOR COURSE: 361st Sig.Bn., 15th Sig.Bde., Ft. Gordon, GA (24SEP86-08DEC86)
CERTIFICATE OF SIGNAL CORPS (REGIMENTAL) AFFILIATION
PRIMARY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSE: Class 9 FY 1991, Fort Sherman, PANAMA (02AUG91-29AUG91)
Named to the COMMANDANT'S LIST while attending PLDC, Fort Sherman, Panama
BASIC NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER COURSE: (14APR92-09JUN92)

Training

ASSIGNMENTS

4th Battalion-67th Armor, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Armored Division (SPEARHEAD), Fed.Rep.of Germany (05FEB87-25JAN89)
HCC 154th Signal Battalion, U.S. ARMY SOUTH (USARSO), Panama (26JAN89-26OCT89)
HQ & HQ Company, U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), Panama (27OCT89-26OCT91)
Quick Reaction Co. (QRC), Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE), MacDill A.F.B., FL (27OCT91-11SEP95)

Assignments

RANKS

PRIVATE, E-1 (15JUL86)
PRIVATE 2nd CLASS, E-2 (15JAN87)
PRIVATE 1st CLASS, E-3 (15JUL87)
SPECIALIST, E-4 (01SEP88)
SERGEANT, E-5 (01OCT93)

Ranks

MEDALS & RIBBONS

The ARMY SERVICE RIBBON (15JUL86)
The ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL (24JAN89)
The ARMY OVERSEAS SERVICE RIBBON (Germany)
The GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL (15JUL86-14JUL89)
The JOINT SERVICE COMMENDATION MEDAL (12OCT90)
The JOINT SERVICE ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL (11FEB91)
The NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER DEVELOPMENT RIBBON w/2 knots (PLDC & BNCOC)
The DEFENSE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL (12SEP91)

Training

Assignments

Ranks

Medals & Ribbons (Cont.)

AIRBORNE

Campaigns

PHOTOS!

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MEDALS & RIBBONS (Continued)

The ARMY OVERSEAS SERVICE RIBBON w/Numeral 2 (Germany/Panama)
The GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL 2nd Award (15JUL89-14JUL92)
The ARMED FORCES EXPEDITIONARY MEDAL
The COMBAT READINESS MEDAL (29SEP91-28SEP93)
The SOUTHWEST ASIA SERVICE MEDAL w/ 2 Bronze Service Stars (14OCT94-01NOV94 & ???????-???????)
The JOINT SERVICE ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL 1st Oak Leaf Cluster (31JUL95)
The JOINT SERVICE COMMENDATION MEDAL 1st Oak Leaf Cluster (13OCT95)
The GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL 3rd Award (15JUL92-14JUL95)

AIRBORNE!

The AIRBORNE COURSE (30OCT92 Graduate)
The JUMPMASTER COURSE (18MAR94 Graduate)
The PAKISTAN PARA WINGS (04JAN94-04FEB94 Two C-130 Jumps w/ Pakistan Special Services Group in Pakistan)
The DRIVER BADGE w/Wheel Bar (25OCT93-25OCT94)
The SENIOR PARACHUTIST BADGE (05NOV94 BLOOD Wing Ceremony HOOUH!)

AIRBORNE

CAMPAIGNS

OPERATION JUST CAUSE: PANAMA (20DEC89-20JAN90)
IRIS GOLD: Kuwait City, Kuwait (30NOV91-14DEC91 )
INSPIRED VENTURE: Islamabad, Pakistan (06JAN94-08FEB94)
VIGILANT WARRIOR: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (14OCT94-01NOV94 )

Training Assignments Ranks Medals & Ribbons AIRBORNE Campaigns PHOTOS! HOME

General Maxwell R. Thurman Commander-in-Chief United States Southern Command Quarry Heights, PANAMA

A few days before Gen. Thurman's scheduled retirement, then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney (now our Vice-President), asked Gen. Thurman to post-pone his retirement and take over the United States Southern Command headquartered at Quarry Heights, PANAMA. I served as one of his primary radio operators during his command in Panama (except for the entire invasion period, I unfortunately got stuck in Bogota, Columbia after I volunteered for a mission there since nothing was happening in Panama..... boy was I wrong.) I would basically travel all over Central and South America with him and his staff carrying a portable satellite radio system on my back with the capabilites of providing secure (up to Top Secret) scrambled communications to the headquarters in Panama as well as to the Joints Chiefs of Staff in D.C..

This photo was taken by Maj. Mirr, Aide-de-Camp to the CINC.
It was taken on July 12th, 1990 onboard a U.S. Air Force C-9 jet. A few months after the INVASION of PANAMA "JUST CAUSE", Gen. Thurman was diagnosed with leukemia. It is hard to see, but I am drenched in sweat, just prior to this photo, I had helped the rest of the staff load all of his personnal belongs in the belly of the aircraft as well as in the passenger area. Gen. Thurman underwent months of CHEMO-Therapy and 'beat' lukemia. I believe he died about 8 years later. I will update this when I find the article I lost.

General George A. Joulwan Commander-in-Chief United States Southern Command Quarry Heights, PANAMA

Shortly after Gen. Thurman completed his successful bout with leukemia, he retired. Lt.Gen. Joulwan, the V Corps commander in Germany, was promoted to 4-star General and assigned as the new Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Southern Command. Here's a funny story.... during school as a kid, I was really into photography, even was the school photographer for my highschool in Odessa, Texas.... yes! the Mighty MOJO Permian High School. I think I did about 3/4 of the photos for the 1985 yearbook. Anyway, while assigned to the communications section for the 4th Battalion 67th Armor of the 3rd Brigade 3rd Armored Division (Spearhead) while in Germany, I was learning to develop color photos at the base photo lab. Just so happened that Major Gen. Joulwan's personal photographer was there too. I left real quick and went to my barracks and got a bunch of pictures that I had blown up the weeks before and went back to the photo lab. I left them in plain sight on the table then went back into the dark room where the general's photographer was. A few minutes later he left the darkroom, I waited about 3 minutes then went out myself and noticed he was looking at my pictures, just as I had hoped. We talked for a while before he asked if I would be interested in replacing him as the general's photographer since he was transfering. I said sure!. The next day I was ordered to my Captain's office where he asked me what I did.... all he knew was that the I was to report to the Division General office A.S.A.P., I then told him it was for an interview. Well, as far as the general's staff was concerned.... I was there new photographer, but as far as the S-1 (personnel office) was concerned, I could not be. After I completed communications school at Ft. Gordon, I recieved a large $CASH$ bonus, and therefore was not allowed to be taken out of my field. Because of all red tape to get me out of that, they found someone else. So... I went back to my unit and did the communications thing, but now... MY battalion commander had a photographer at his disposal. Here is the funny part...... after my tour in Germany, I signed up for Panama. I had no idea we had troops in Panama at the time, but my buddies told me that Panama was the place to go if I wanted to see action. (The reason they told me that was because they were up on current events and Noriega and knew that I always said I wanted to get shot..... conditionally of course- 1. It would not hurt too too bad.... 2. It would not leave a bad scar.... and 3. I would recover fully.) Anyway..... I end up in Panama, get selected to do comms for the general, then General Joulwan takes over and I end up doing communications for him. Then one day an El Salvadorean General is in his office and the staff is freaking out.... the Public Affairs Office did not have a photographer available as planned. So..... I say "I have a camera about 100 yards away in my room." I got my camera, took the pictures and tada!.... I am his photographer for a few months till his photographer from Germany transferred in. This photo was taken at my Re-Enlistment ceremony by Specialist Gomez, my roommate, and the guy that got the photography job in Germany after I didn't. Kinda IRONIC...... Don't you think?

General Colin Powell Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff

I believe these photos were taken in May of 1990 by SSG Santiago, Gen. Joulwan's driver. The 1st picture was taken just before his departure for the airport. During his visit to Panama, we went to Honduras and El Salvador where he met with our troops and foreign dignitaries. On the flight to El Salvador, I was towards the front of the aircraft in the communications console and had to go to the back to give a colonel a fax. In order to do so, I had to go through the general's cabin. Halfway through the cabin, Gen. Joulwan said "Specialist Campos!" I stopped and replied "YES SIR?", he then replied "Have you met the Chairman yet?" I replied "No Sir." he then said "Come over there and meet the Chairman." Was pretty neat. After that, I went to the back of the aircraft where everyone was like 'wow!'. Really blew my mind, at that time..... well, even now... as Secretary of State, Colin Powell is definately one for the history books.

This photo was taken either in Panama or Honduras. We are walking on a new bridge being built by the Army Corps of Engineers. (I am the second from the left, Gen. Joulwan is the one behind Gen. Powell.)

This photo was taken at Albrook A.F.B., Panama. Behind Gen. Powell and Gen. Joulwan is Brigadier General Hartzog, the U.S. Southern Command J-3. After B.Gen. Hartzog's role during the Invasion of Panama "JUST CAUSE", he was awarded his 2nd Star to Major General and assigned to command the BIG RED 1.

(That is me in the helicopter working the communications console.)

The Office of the Commander-in-Chief General George A. Joulwan Commander-in-Chief United States Southern Command Quarry Heights, PANAMA

The first photo is of my Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Army. The second is my Re-Enlistment for 4 years. The third is a congratulating hand-shake. The last picture is of the communications group. The soldier on the left receieved and award from his previous unit at Ft. Bragg, NC.. The second from the left and I both recieved the DEFENSE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDALS for our service as CinC Communicators. The person next to me is an Air Force Airman 1st Class who also served on the commo team, he received an award from his previous unit as well.

SSG Santiago, who took all the pictures of me and Gen. Powell, shot a really nice Video of this entire ceremony. I hope to add some video clips to this as soon as I figure out how.

These photos were all taken by SPC. Gomez.

The Quick Reaction Company Joint Communications Support Element MacDill A.F.B., Florida

The Quick Reaction Company (QRC) was a company of radio operators in t he Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE- "The Voice Heard Around the World". JCSE is a joint unit comprised of Soldiers (ARMY), Airmen (AIR FORCE), Sailors (NAVY) and Marines (MARINE CORPS). I remember having an Air Force Staff Sergeant as a Section Leader, a Navy Petty Officer as a Squad Leader, a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant as a Platoon Leader, an Army 1st Sergeant and finally an Air Force Captain as Company Commander.

QRC was the "HOOUH!" of JCSE.... I knew it, my fellow Q-Dawgs knew it, and the rest of JCSE knew it, they just never wanted to admit it.

This graphic of the Q-Dawg was one of my very first designs, I had just bought Corel Draw 3 after my return from Saudi Arabia where I had first discovered Corel Draw 2 on a computer I work on. A fellow sergeant, Sgt. Palfi, and I were playing around with Corel on the computer in the equipment room and came across the clipart of the dog. Then we came across all the military emblems. We just started messing around and came up with 80 percent of what you see above. I had just bought a b&w hand-scanner, yes... the one where you slide the scanner over the picture..... flatbeds were about $1,500 back then. Anyway, I scanned a drawing of a beret and with Corel was able to color it maroon. I then used Corel to design the flag and the JCSE emblem. This is the finished product and can be found on page 123 of the COREL ARTSHOW 6 coffee table book. I did not win, but was exstatic to have my work printed.

These are just a bunch of pictures taken during my assignment with the Quick Reaction Compnay- (QRC...Baby!)

Getting ready for a jump.

The pic on the left is of me and RM1 Kelly (U.S. Navy), then me sitting on the tarmac waiting on a C-130, and then one of me between RM1 Mazza and RM2 Belcher (both U.S. Navy).