It was a room full of applause at the Wright Museum of WWII as Sen. Jeanne Shaheen praised Roger Campbell as one of the greatest of the Greatest Generation. The Technician Fourth Grade (Ret.) was presented with a Congressional Gold Medal.
"When I get up I'll salute this every morning," Campbell said after the ceremony.
Campbell served with the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. He battled Japanese soldiers with guerilla tactics in the jungles of what was then Burma, contracting malaria three times.
“Winston Churchill described that region where Mr. Campbell operated and he said quote ‘One could not choose a worse place for fighting the Japanese,’” said Shaheen providing some context as to the difficulty of Campbell’s mission.
Campbell expressed gratitude for the Kachin people, natives who fought alongside his detachment. "Without the Kachins, really we would have struggle like hell," he said.
Campbell also described what he thinks younger generations should remember from the second world war.
"They don't realize what the servicemen had to go through to survive," said Campbell. "And how many men we lost, too, you know."
In March, Congress awarded all former members of the OSS the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service, some 80 years after they began their efforts.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you being recognized for everything you did, Mr. Campbell,” said Commander Wayne Marshall of VFW 8270 during the ceremony. “And on behalf of later generations of shadow warriors who have succeeded you, I salute you, Sir.”
There are now fewer than 100 former OSS members like Campbell still around to tell their stories.