LYNN — A young man’s sacrifice four decades ago was honored last week.
Lance Cpl. Bradley J. Campus, of Lynn, was killed in the Beirut barracks bombing on Oct. 23, 1983, when two suicide bombers detonated truck bombs at a U.S. Marines Corps barracks during the Lebanese Civil War. The blasts killed 241 American service members, 58 French military personnel, and six civilians.
Campus, a graduate of Lynn English High School, was 21 years old when he died 40 years ago.
In preparation for the 40th anniversary of his death, a new memorial at Clark Street Playground was dedicated.
At the helm of the effort to build the new memorial was Sgt. Charlie Griffin, a former Lynn Police officer and Marine who was one of Campus’ friends.
“He really is an American hero,” Griffin said. “We take our veterans for granted sometimes, but we wouldn’t have anything without them.”
Griffin said he had been lobbying to improve the memorial at Clark Street Playground, which was previously a piece of plywood with Campus’ name on it, for decades.
“The ultimate sacrifice deserves a little bit more than that,” Griffin said. “I thought as a tribute to him we should try to improve his memorial site.”
Griffin finally got his wish after connecting with Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Oswald, who connected Griffin with the right people to make his vision for a new memorial a reality.
“I let him know about the situation and he said that it was unacceptable and we would do something about this,” Griffin said.
Griffin said once the word got out, people quickly came forward to fundraise and donate materials to build the memorial.
“It was so cool to see that once people were notified about it, everyone jumped on board and made this happen,” Griffin said.
The new memorial, which was dedicated on Saturday, is a more detailed granite stone that includes a narrative about what happened to Campus and the circumstances surrounding the bombing.
“It’s just a fitting tribute to someone who’s made the ultimate sacrifice,” Griffin, who called the day bittersweet, said. “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
