Col. William Campbell '52, a USAF pilot killed in Vietnam in 1969, was buried Thursday, May 18, at Arlington National Cemetery. The remains of his wife, "Boo," will be interred with him.

Col. Campbell's remains were recovered and positively identified 48 years after he was shot down during the Vietnam War. DNA testing confirmed the identification.

Campbell's casket was escorted from Honolulu to Dallas and on to D.C. by his daughter's son-in-law, an Air Force pilot who has long worn an MIA bracelet with Campbell's name on it.



At both the Dallas and D.C. airports, the plane carrying his remains was met with a water cannon "Shower of Affection."



After a morning service at the Old Post Chapel at Arlington National Cemetery, the casket was transported by horse-drawn caisson to the gravesite.



Jets from the Maryland Air National Guard flew over the funeral in a missing man formation.



Flags were presented to each of Campbell's four children, and a bagpiper played "Amazing Grace."



Primarily a heavy-aircraft pilot in the first part of his career, Bill volunteered to go to Vietnam flying the F-4 fighter-bomber, said his lifelong best friend, Col. Ralph Dresser '52. The two met in junior high in San Antonio, went to Texas A&M and pilot training together, served as instructor pilots together and later both flew missions along the Ho Chi Minh trail.

"He was an above-average pilot, he was an above-average officer, he was an above-average father, husband, all of those things," Dresser said. "And he was just a genuinely great guy."

Full story and more photos at https://www.aggienetwork.com/news/145624/aggie-hero-buried-at-arlington-national-cemetery.