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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Ms. Polly Fleming

James Roy Campbell first entered aviation on May 7, 1954 when he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and was assigned to VP-891, a PB4Y-2 Squadron at NAS Seattle. In January 1955 he transferred to the U. S. Navy intending to make a military career and was assigned to aviation duty eventually becoming an Aviation Electrician's Mate. He took flying lessons and applied for the Naval Aviation Cadet Program and was accepted into cadet class 10-56. In flight training he flew the T-34B, T-28B and C, SNJ, TV-2, and the F9F-8. He also applied for the Marine Corps and was commissioned in September 1957. He completed training in November 1957 and was assigned to VMF (AW)-314 an F4D-1 Skyray Squadron. In July his squadron deployed to Atsugi, Japan and in September to Ping Tung, Taiwan in response to the attack on Quemoy Island where he qualified as an interceptor alert pilot. The squadron returned to Atsugi in March 1959 where he continued alert pilot duties. In September he was assigned to VMF(AW)-513 at El Toro, CA as an F4D-1 instructor. In 1961 he was assigned as a forward air controller with the 1st Recon Battalion at Camp Pendleton, CA and flew the C-45 an OE-2 aircraft.
In 1962 he was assigned as an instructor in the T-34B at NAAS Sauffley Field, FL and also served as the OIC of the Aviation Cadet Battalion. In 1965 he was assigned to the Second Marine Air Wing in H&MS-14 as the operations officer and checked out in the T1A aircraft. In January 1966 he was a student and class leader at escape, evasion and survival school in Bridgeport, CA and then to VMA-332 for checkout in the A4E Skyhawk. He was then sent to Iwakuni, Japan and served as the base personnel officer and flew the C-45 and the HU-16 amphibian aircraft. In November 1966 he volunteered for combat duty and was assigned to VMA-311 and VMA-211 at Chu Lai, Republic of Viet Nam where he flew 143 combat missions winning nine air medals. Completing his combat tour he was again sent to El Toro, CA to Marine Air Support Squadron-5 where he served as operations, logistics and executive officer. He was also a T1A instructor. In 1969 he was assigned to Marine Air Group-33 as the legal officer and was also an instructor in the TA4F Skyhawk. In 1969 he was assigned at the Aircraft Maintenance Officer for VMA-214, the Blacksheep Squadron flying the A4C Skyhawk. When he joined the squadron it was assigned 27 aircraft of which half were not flying due maintenance problems. Within six months he had all squadron aircraft flying.
In 1970 he was assigned to MABS-12 in Iwakuni, Japan where he served as Executive Officer. From Iwakuni he went to MCAS Cherry Point and was the personnel officer of MCCRTG-20 and flew as an A4 Skyhawk instructor. His last assignment was as OIC of Trainee Management Element-21 where he managed enlisted training of 800 students and also was an instructor and check pilot in the A4 Skyhawk. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1975 with 3,830 hours of accident free flight time in more than twenty different aircraft types.
After retiring from the Marine Corps he moved to Stuttgart, Germany and attended school completing a college degree and a master's degree and also worked as the manager of a flying club where he flew Cessna Skyhawks. He returned to the U. S. in 1979 and continued to fly Cessnas until 1985. In 1985 he started flying gliders for sport in the Washington, DC area. He moved to Virginia Beach, VA in 1992 and joined a glider club there flying Schweitzer 2-33 and 1-26s, Blanik L-33 and PZL Bielsko Jantar aircraft. During that time he established a training program where seniors could attend a class on glider flying and operations and then get one demonstration flight in a glider which was attended by more than 140 students. He continued to fly gliders until 2003 when he stopped flying due to a medical condition.