Len Camp
Power, camaraderie, passion. These were three words that described our friend and colleague of 40 years. We shared a common birthday, but he was slightly older, and I think in some ways wiser for it. From the moment I met JR at dinner on 03 January 1973, back at Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School course 7301, Chilliwack BC, I knew he was a unique person. During the officer course and because he was strong as an ox, JR excelled at the physical aspects; but he also had a sensitive, understanding side that came out when needed as well. In one of the most gruelling challenges toward the end our course, as a platoon of 20 men we had to walk-run 10 miles in a fixed time limit over country roads with full military gear and weapons. One of our classmates was older than the rest of us as a legal officer coming into the military as a specialist officer, and he was struggling to keep up. With JR on one arm, and Rocky Ror (his real name) on the other, they pulled him through the last two miles to the finish, and thanks to them, we completed the run on time as a group. After we graduated, and we both headed to Canadian Forces Base North Bay (Ontario) for air weapons controller training, JR studied hard and achieved very good results on an emotionally demanding course. One of the things that stood out in my mind was that he was never shy to ask for help if he didnâ??t understand the technical jargon used on the course. During that phase, my father passed away under open heart surgery, and JR was the first of my classmates to come to me to express sympathy and understanding, and I remember to this day the helpful compassion and caring he showed me. Playing softball, JR was a dark horse, for all he needed was one sweet pitch down the middle of the plate, and when he hit it, the umpire just threw in a new ball because we knew the one he connected with would be gone forever. Many a pitcher was humbled by his mighty swing! Later in life, he competed in ESPN golf long drive competitions, and achieved a lifetime best drive of 408 yards! Think of the length of three football fields with end zones laid end-to-end and picture that little white orb clearing all of them. A few years ago, JR and I communicated about an exciting new product he and his brother had developed that would revolutionize the filtration of H1N1 flu bacteria. I put him in touch with representatives at The Pentagon who were quite interested in the capability. I always knew him as JR, and I think I knew him well. He was a comrade in arms, and a champion of a man. I hope his family takes comfort in knowing that some of his fellow warriors thought a lot of him, and still do. RIP JR. Len Campaigne sends from Abu Dhabi, UAE.