LYNN — With the application deadline fast approaching, LCpl Bradley J. Campus Memorial Scholarship organizers are urging Lynn high school seniors to apply for one of three $1,000 scholarships being awarded this spring.
The scholarship honors the late Lance Cpl. Bradley J. Campus, a Lynn native and U.S. Marine, was killed in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing at the age of 21.
“We want to keep Bradley’s memory alive so people never forget his sacrifice,” said Charlie Griffin, a retired Lynn police officer and fellow Marine who helped establish the memorial and scholarship program. “He was only 21 years old when he was killed over there in Beirut — just about a month away from coming home. It’s tragic, but this scholarship is a positive way to remember him and to help local students in his name.”
Campus was born in Lynn on Feb. 15, 1962, and attended Lynn English High School. After graduating, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was eventually stationed overseas. On Oct. 23, 1983, he was one of 241 U.S. service members killed when suicide bombers drove a truck into the Marine barracks in Beirut.
Griffin, who escorted Campus’s remains home four decades ago, has long worked to ensure the young Marine’s sacrifice was properly commemorated. He and a dedicated committee of volunteers oversaw the installation of a striking stone memorial at Lynn’s Clark Street Playground — complete with informational plaques, benches and flagpoles for the U.S. and Marine Corps flags. The scholarship program grew out of leftover donations from that memorial effort.
“You never want to forget veterans who’ve lost their lives,” Griffin said. “The more we can say their names and involve them in community efforts, the more people will remember and honor their service. This scholarship extends Bradley’s legacy and offers our students an opportunity to pursue their dreams.”
Open to seniors at all Lynn public high schools, applicants must submit a completed application cover sheet, a 500-word essay addressing the question “What is the significance of the American flag and what does it mean to you?”, a year-to-date senior transcript, a junior-year transcript and two letters of recommendation from a teacher or coach. All materials must be emailed to [email protected] or sent in hard copy to the LCpl Bradley J. Campus Memorial Scholarship Committee by 5 p.m. on March 28. Three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded, and the guidance departments of the chosen recipients will be notified by May 9.
Griffin hopes to see a last-minute surge in applications. “Guidance counselors told us that a lot of high school kids wait until the last minute to apply,” he said. “Hopefully, seeing this story will remind them — and their parents — that we’re giving away free money for college. We want to help as many students as possible and keep Bradley’s memory alive in the process.”
For more information, students are encouraged to contact their high school guidance department or email the scholarship committee directly.
