James Lawrence Campbell

1932 - 2016

Waterford - At long last and with great pride, the family of U.S. Army Sgt. James Lawrence Campbell welcomes him home.

Sgt. Campbell was born on Oct. 8, 1932, in New London, and was killed in action on Dec. 2, 1950, in North Korea.

He was the beloved son of the late John Andrew Campbell Sr. and Claire (Dimmock) Campbell.

Sgt. Campbell is survived by his sister, Doris C. Smith of Waterford and several nieces and nephews.

He had also been predeceased by his three brothers, John Andrew Campbell Jr., H. Roger Campbell and Robert Campbell.

Sgt. Campbell, a Waterford resident, was a member of the First Baptist Church. He was a popular youth with green eyes and an infectious smile. His friends called him Jimmy. He graduated from Great Neck School in 1947 and attended Chapman Technical High School. While a student, he worked at the family farm, Dimmock Dairy.

Jimmy enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17 in October of 1949 and completed his basic training at Ft. Dix in New Jersey.

In November 1950, Sgt. Campbell (A Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division) was one of 2,500 U.S. soldiers who were assembled with 700 South Korean soldiers in the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT).

The RCT was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, when it was engaged by overwhelming members of Chinese forces. At the end of the battle, Campbell could not be accounted for and was reported missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950.

Due to a prolonged lack of information regarding his whereabouts, the U.S. Army presumptively declared him dead as of Dec. 31, 1953, and posthumously promoted him to sergeant.

Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea repatriated to the United States 208 boxes of human remains of U.S. servicemen who fought during the Korean War. Scientists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory were able to positively identify the remains of Sgt. Campbell using both circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including DNA analysis which matched both his sister and brother.

Sgt. Campbell was posthumously awarded the following medals, awards and decorations: Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with three Bronze Service Stars, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Combat Infantryman Badge, United Nations Service Medal, Republic of Korea-Korean War Service Medal and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.

Sgt. Campbell will be interred with full military honors at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at the West Neck Cemetery, 198 Great Neck Road, Waterford. Please use street parking or the Seventh Day Baptist Church lot.

Byles Memorial Home, 99 Huntington St., New London, is assisting his family with the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, his family has asked that donations be directed to either the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 or the Westbrook Honor Guard, c/o Joe Barry, 111 South Edgewood Road, Niantic, CT 06357.

Please visit www.byles.com for directions, to sign his guest book or to share a memory.