Remembering The Tragic Death of Desert Storm Veteran Steven Campbell 20 Years Later
By David Block
Desert Storm veteran Steven Campbell died twenty years ago, due to cancer diagnosed too late. It was too late for him to fight the cancer. For over a year, he went to the VA, but the doctors told him that the pain was all in head, he probably drank too much when he was in the marines. Finally, a doctor, unaffiliated with the VA examined Steven and told him that he had cancer and would die in a few months. This doctor was right. Steven Campbell died Feb. 12, 2000.
I learned about this tragedy when I was making my veteran documentary, Abandoned Heroes (2008), which documents how US soldiers returned home to a thankless nation. My crew and I interviewed Steven’s mother Alyce Hutchison, and used parts of his deposition he gave several months before he died
I am not a poem, but after I learned about Steven’s ordeal, I wrote a spontaneous poem. I wrote this raw poem from the heart, called Ode to Steven Campbell.
When the ’91 Gulf War broke out,
Steven Campbell chose to go.
He earned medals for bravery — no doubt,
He was definitely gun-ho!
After brave Steve Campbell journeyed home,
Trouble soon began;
He developed severe Gulf War Syndrome,
He became a sick, sick man.
But Campbell had no need to fear
The VA was his friend;
All his pleas for help fell on deaf ears,
Which caused his life to end.
Campbell was a noble man,
Who served the USA,
VA hospitals gave him no helping hand -
What a price to pay!
He helped save Kuwait and defeat Iraq -
He was a decorated hero -
But the shabby treatment after he came back
Brought his spirits down to zero.
The unseen foe, diagnosed too late,
He had no chance to fight;
The cancer within did not wait
On the VA’s oversight.
Hear me, Steven Campbell,
You’ll no longer be ignored -
My documentary will present the hell
That you unfortunately endured.
You can watch my documentary, Abandoned Heroes by clicking on this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGy2DLGUGIo
You will hear Steven’s and his mother’s disturbing story while learning about other veterans and problems they faced after coming home. For them, that was when the real war began.
In 2010, ten years after Steven died, I wrote a memorial piece for his hometown Ohio newspaper. You will learn more about Steven and his family. Go to:
Rest in Peace Steven Campbell and to the thousands of others who suffered a similar fate.
You will not be forgotten.
