Rev. Fred L. Campbell was born Aug. 6, 1922, in Belton, Mo. He served in the United States Army Air Force as a navigator on a B-17 bomber. He was shot down on his 21st mission over Holland on Nov. 6, 1944, when the B-17 bomber he was aboard crash landed in a plowed field in North Holland following a bombing mission to Hamburg, Germany.

The plane's crew survived the crash but were captured by German troops and spent six months in POW camps until liberated by Patton's army at the end of World War II.

Fred went on to graduate from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's in finance and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary with a master's degree of divinity. He was chairman of outreach and a national service officer of AXPOW.

He served as pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Ballinger, Texas, from 1959 until 1965, Highland Presbyterian Church, Tyler, Texas, from 1965 until 1972, Presbytery of Northeast Texas and Dallas, Texas, as evangelism associate and then pastor of St. Paul Presbyterian Church, San Angelo, Texas, from 1973 until 1988. After retirement he also served as interim pastor at Church of the Good Shepherd, Sonora, Texas, and First Presbyterian churches in Fort Davis and Marfa, Texas.

Campbell spent the rest of his life helping those who had shared his war time experiences. "He was very good at counseling former POWs and their widows and helping them to know about their benefits," said Tim L. Vasquez, director of Veterans County Service Office for the Concho Valley. Campbell also was "an open book" about the war experiences of POWs, Vasquez said. "He was open to talking about anything.

At the annual Christmas party, POWs and surviving spouses would sit at the table and talk. Their grandchildren who were there got to meet those heroes who survived. "He wanted people to know their legacy." In a 2006 letter to the Standard-Times, Campbell wrote the Concho Valley's former POWs "have seen the enemy too close, are fortunate to have survived and are bound by close-to- death experiences."

As Pastor Emeritus of St. Paul Presbyterian Church, Campbell often spoke at events honoring veterans. Over the years, he also wrote many letters to the Standard-Times reminding readers to remember prisoners of war. His messages about benefits for former prisoners of war and their widows received national coverage in 2001 and 2009 when the "Dear Abby" column published his information, drawing thousands of responses.