Francis Campeau

Aviation Electrician 3rd Class
VF-11, CVW-17, USS FORRESTAL
United States Navy
28 May 1945 - 29 July 1967
Bergenfield, New Jersey
Panel 24E Line 017

USS FORRESTAL

VF-11


National Defense, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign

The database page for Francis Campeau

01 Apr 2008

I am from your home town, Bergenfield NJ, and know of your sacrifice because we lived on the street named after you... Campeau Place. Only now did I find out how you gave your life for your country, by watching a documentary of the FORRESTAL, where you served and perished. Your sacrifice has been with me since I was a boy and has often reminded me how lucky I am to live in the United States, defended by heroes such as yourself. Godspeed, Francis.

Scott Koenig
Sanford, Florida
vietnam_memorial@koenigs.net

A Note from The Virtual Wall

USS FORRESTAL arrived on Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin on 25 July 1967 and immediately began combat operations. The first four days were routine; the fifth day, 29 July, was not.

At 10:52 AM a 5-inch Zuni rocket accidentally fired across the crowded flight deck, impacting an armed A-4 Skyhawk. The resulting explosions and fires raged for 13 hours and more, killing 135 crewmen with hundreds more injured.

Some of Fighter Squadron 11's berthing spaces were located immediately below the area of the flight deck first involved, and many off-duty men from VF-11 died in those compartments. The squadron lost a total of 48 men.

More information and a list of the dead are on The Virtual Wall's
USS FORRESTAL Memorial



The point-of-contact for this memorial is
someone from your hometown, Bergenfield, NJ,
Scott Koenig
vietnam_memorial@koenigs.net



Top of Page

Virtual Wall icon
www.VirtualWall.org

Back to
To alpha index C
NJ State Index . Panel 24E
VF-11 Index

Webmaster@VirtualWall.org



With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 01 Apr 2008
Last updated 04/05/2008