Veteran Salute: Purple heart veteran lead others for 30 years

WESTMORELAND (KSNT) - Deploying across Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond, Lieutenant Colonel Erich Campbell continued to improve and push his leadership abilities across three decades in the armed forces.

Serving today as a Magistrate Judge for Kansas's Second Judicial District, Judge Campbell leads with 30 years of military experience in his pocket.

“Leadership is born into somebody, and you can teach them about leadership, but still you have to have the persona to lead people," Campbell said. "That means sometimes you have to be confident even when you’re not. It's to lead from the front.”  

That journey to becoming a leader started way back in 1986.

“When I was enlisted I was in 19 Delta which was an Armored Cav Scout," He said. "Great job, enjoyed it we had some autonomy. Seeing what the officers did, kind of decided I could do their job too. So I decided to apply for the program, was accepted, and the army sent me right back to college.”

That education would serve him well, as the Lieutenant Colonel deployed around the globe.

“I lived in Saudi Arabia for two years," Campbell said. "Fantastic tour, it was near the red sea. I spent close to probably 14 years in Europe, mostly Germany, some in Belgium. In my various tours in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan. Kosovo, it was a very humanitarian mission, we had to stop people from killing each other based upon their religion.” 

In his later tours, Campbell's leadership skills would be tested across cultural barriers.

“I was an advisor to the Iraqi Police," he said, "I was an advisor to the Afghan Police, advisor to the Iraqi army, Afghan army. We were in very small detachments but we had a mission of training them up so they could defend themselves. “ 

It was during his time as an advisor to the Iraqi army, when Campbell and his group were ambushed.

“It ended up to be an insurgent dressed up as an Iraqi policemen wearing a suicide vest," Campbell said. "I don’t remember too much after that, but I did spend two years in a rehab facilities going to occupational, physical therapy.” 

Receiving his purple heart, the Lieutenant Colonel didn't let his injury get in the way of continuing his service.

“I went back to Afghanistan as soon as I was medically recovered," Campbell said. "That day I was injured, but the enemy didn’t win. I was rehabilitated, I was fixed, and I went right back.” 

That's not where his purple heart story ends though, as a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Campbell pushed for getting Kansas, Holton, and Jackson County designated into a purple heart state, city, and county respectively.