| Notes |
Serial Number
19779407
Ground casualty
- gun, small arms fire
MIA
National Archives
-
Attended
Bird St. School 1st and 2nd grade
-
Attended
St. Thomas Catholic School
-
Oroville
High School Graduate 1963
-
First casualty
of the 173rd in Vietnam
-
First Vietnam
casualty from the North Valley
From the P.O.W.
Network website: http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/v/v352.htm
VAN CAMPEN, THOMAS
CHARLES
Name: Thomas Charles Van Campen
Rank/Branch: E3/US Army
Unit: Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne
Division
Date of Birth: 28 December 1945
Home City of Record: Oroville CA
Date of Loss: 24 June 1965
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 105912N 1064934E (YT075215)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Refno: 0102
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 September 1990
from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government
agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published
sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 1998.
REMARKS: WOUNDED - SEPARATED FROM UNIT - J
SYNOPSIS: PFC Thomas C. Van Campen was on a combat operation
with his unit near Bien Hoa, South Vietnam on June 24, 1965
when the unit came under enemy sniper fire. During the encounter,
Van Campen was wounded and became separated from the unit.
Because of the hostile forces in the area, others in the
unit could not get to his position, and as a consequence,
he was not recovered when the unit left the area. It was
believed, however, that he was dead when the unit left the
area. Subsequent searches of the area failed to reveal any
further information.
Since the war ended in Vietnam, refugees have flooded the
world, bringing with them stories of American soldiers still
held prisoner in their homeland. As of mid-1990, there were
over 10,000 of these reports. Many authorities now believe
that hundreds were left behind as living hostages and are
alive today.
Thomas C. Van Campen is not believed to have survived the
events of June 24, 1965. His family has accepted that he
is dead. They no longer expect him to come home someday.
But hundreds of families wait expectantly and in the special
agony only uncertainty can bring. Hundreds of men wait in
caves, cages and prisons. How much longer will we allow
the abandonment of our best men? It's time we brought them
home.
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