Tom Campbell WHHY News Audio Found, Advertiser-Journal Articles Posted

On Easter Sunday, March 26, 1978, TSgt Tom Campbell, who was a Security Policeman with the 3800th Security Police Squadron, Maxwell AFB, AL, was killed in the line of duty while responding to a "man with a gun" call. The murder occurred in the Maxwell Heights off base housing complex just east of Air Base Blvd.

Philip "J.P." Brown recently found a cassette tape recording of a WHHY (FM 102) newscast from March 27, 1978, about the murder of Sgt Campbell.

Special thanks to Steve Smith (WHHY Program Director) for granting permission to post the digital audio of the newscast by Alan Young.

WHHY web site


Broadcast by WHHY (FM 101.9) on March 27, 1978.
(©1978 WHHY (Y-102). Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Two stories from the Montgomery newspapers, The Montgomery Advertiser (morning) and the Alabama Journal (afternoon), were stored away, and have now been scanned.

Special thanks to Karlene Barnett for conveying, and to Wanda Lloyd (Montgomery Advertiser Executive Editor) for granting, permission to post the scanned articles.

Advertiser web site


Page 1 - Banner


Page 1 - Story


Page 2 - Continuation

Published in The Montgomery Advertiser on March 27, 1978.
(©1978 Montgomery Advertiser. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)


Page 13 - Header


Page 13 - Story

Published in the Alabama Journal on March 27, 1978.
(©1978 Montgomery Advertiser. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

TSgt Thomas L. Campbell Memorial Page

Painting of TSgt Thomas L. Campbell at Building 837, Maxwell AFB, AL (photo by Philip "J.P." Brown) CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE FULL SIZE

TSgt Tom Campbell was killed in the line of duty on March 26, 1978, defending Maxwell AFB, and thus defending America. Many of Tom's fellow SPs from the 3800th SPS have added their remembrances of that night at "The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc." web site: The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. Please feel free to comment here (this site) or at their site.

Vice President Mondale Visits, April 8, 1979

On April 8, 1979, Vice President Walter F. Mondale visited Tuskegee Institute and delivered a speech for the Tuskegee Institute Founders Day events. He landed at Maxwell AFB the night before. The following recording was made using a Bearcat 210 scanner. It picks up Montgomery PD, Alabama State Troopers, and the 3800th SPS channels 1 and 2.

Vice President Walter F. Mondale ~ 1978
(official U.S. photograph)

The following list will probably have some mistakes on names and ranks. Please send me an e-mail if you find a mistake: Gate 2 (unknown), Defense 1 (unknown), Maxwell Desk Sergeants (Sgt Ervin Littleton, and A1C Jim Potter), Ops 1 (Maj Lorne McGregor), Ops 2 (Lt Cranford Herron), Police 1 (TSgt Danny Avant and TSgt Gary Nickols), Police 2 (possibly TSgt Jerome Simmons and SSgt Don Giesey), Police 3 (TSgt Claude Todd), Police 4 (SrA Rodney Mullins), Police 6 (SSgt Larry Wiles), Police 8 (SSgt Don Giesey (?) and TSgt Ray Spigner), Alpha 1 (unknown), Alpha 2 (unknown), Sniper 1 (SrA Steve Branyon and SrA Bill McCue), Sniper 2 (SSgt Larry Eaton and A1C Mike Esquibel (?)).

I recognized the following airmen, but could not figure out their assignments: SrA Denis Brooker, A1C Perry Cooley, A1C Jay Johnson, and SSgt Charles Burge. Also, Maj McGregor refers to Col Robert D. Hartwig, the Base Commander.

In the timelines that follow: Time at the beginning is the edited elapsed time for the digital audio segment. Time in parenthesis is the real elapsed time for the original cassette tape. The difference is due to the fact that the original recording was split into segments, and long periods of silence were cut out.

File 1 - Civilian Law Enforcement Hands Off the Motorcade

01:09 (01:30) - VP Mondale is en route, perimeters are set up
02:29 (03:32) - Perry Cooley & Jay Johnson at Building 844
03:57 (04:16) - A funeral escort approaches the motorcade
04:01 (04:22) - Civilian officer, "Stop that funeral escort!"
04:55 (05:22) - Garbled transmission, "...200 meters..."

Note: The correct date is April 8, 1979, instead of May 23, 1979.

File 2 - Suspicious Persons on the Flight Line

00:15 (06:45) - Maxwell Desk, "Police 8, 10-25 flight line...approximately 200 meters..."
00:42 (07:12) - The motorcade arrives on base (per TSgt Avant)
01:47 (08:17) - Steve Branyon, "Someone's running over there on the golf course"


File 3 - More Suspicious Persons Near March Street

00:26 (13:11) - Sgt Claude Todd, "I've got a little activity adjacent to the side street..."


File 4 - Two More Possible Problems

00:15 (17:21) - Lt Herron, "Get that jogger off the track"
01:02 (18:08) - Rodney Mullins, "What's that individual doing over by the white car over by 1428?"
01:08 (18:15) - Lt Herron, "Rodney, take care of it."
02:58 (21:01) - Alpha 1, "Alpha 1 to Sniper 1...people at Building 1428 are okay"


File 5 - Hey, hey, hey! He's away!

00:03 (22:40) - Maj McGregor, "Ops 1 to Police 1...Any questions they can contact Col. Hartwig"
00:45 (23:30) - Larry Wiles (?), "10-28, 29, on current Florida...alpha alpha mike 9-2-9"
02:45 (25:25) - Clear the flight line
03:02 (25:39) - Lt Herron, "He's taxiing now"
03:27 (26:04) - Lt Herron, "Hey, hey, hey! He's away!"


File 6 - Wrapping Up

Various transmissions among civilian law enforcement agencies and the 3800th SPS.