The Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Jaffrey held a ceremony Friday to honor prisoners of war and those missing in action, with special remembrance for two men with ties to the community.
“Let’s never forget the POWs, the MIAs and the guys that gave their lives for this country,” said Rick Lambert, a Vietnam veteran who helped to organize the ceremony, held in recognition of the National POW/MIA Recognition Day on Sept. 19.
The VFW hosted two ceremonies. The first took place at Phillips/Heil Cemetery, where a gravestone stands for Thomas Charles Van Campen, though his remains were never recovered.
Van Campen joined the U.S. Army at 17 and joined the “Bravo Bulls.” He deployed with the 173d Airborne Brigade to Vietnam in 1965.
“Van Campen, and the unit, was new to combat in Vietnam. They had arrived on May 5, 1965. It was only 40 days into the country,” said Vietnam veteran Joseph Logan. “Van Campen was part of a three-man security attachment that was sent out on a landing zone. When it was time to move out, the squad leader failed to retrieve and bring them back.”
On June 24, 1965, Van Campen and three comrades became separated from their platoon, and Van Campen was believed killed in action after taking several bullets to the chest. His body could not be extracted at the time. Later efforts to locate him were unsuccessful. He was 19.
Though he did not have ties to Jaffrey during his life, a fellow Vietnam veteran purchased two plots in the Phillips/Heil Cemetery — one for himself, and one for Van Campen, to keep his memory alive. Five years ago, a stone was erected for Van Campen, so that he might never be forgotten. He is also recognized as an honorary member of the Jaffrey VFW, with a plaque telling his story displayed in the hall.
“Van Campen is always remembered at VFW Post 5613,” said Lambert.
Lambert also told the story of Norman Billipp, the eldest son of longtime Jaffrey residents Gordon “Bill” and Betty Billipp. Both Norman and his brother Andrew served as Marine pilots in Vietnam.
On May 6, 1969, Norman’s plane was shot down in Vietnam. His body was not recovered for many years.
When Lambert was raising funds for Jaffrey’s War Memorial Park, he met Gordon “Bill” and Betty Billipp.
“Bill and Betty Billipp were steadfast supporters of the park, but they had a thing that always haunted them, and that was that their son’s remains were never found,” Lambert said.
In 1996, a joint U.S. and Vietnamese search team excavated a crash site believed to be Billipp’s O-1G Bird Dog, and recovered human remains. Later that year, those remains were identified as Billipp’s and were interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
Lambert noted that the stone placed for Van Campen in Phillips/Heil Cemetery is less than 10 feet from Bill and Betty Billipp’s marker.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.