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'I'm so proud of the boys and what they did'

Claire Hunter

28 March 2022

Warning: This article contains distressing content and graphic descriptions.  

Fred Campbell

Warrant Officer Fred Campbell OAM. Photos: Courtesy Fred Campbell

Fred Campbell was standing on the flight deck when he felt the explosion.

“There was smoke a kilometre or so in front of us and reports were coming in about this dhow that had exploded,” he said.

“Then suddenly, about a thousand yards away, we saw this boat, flying through like a speed boat, towards one of the oil rigs.

“Suddenly it exploded, and I said to the boys, ‘We've got to get inside now.’

“The next minute another one came through, and it was even closer.

“It exploded right behind us, and it was that close, we could actually feel the blast.

“Our hangar door really shook, and I said to the boys, ‘Get in the hangar now.’

“And that's when the ship went into action stations.”

Seahawk

It was 24 April 2004, and Fred Campbell was on his third deployment to the Middle East.

He was managing the movement of Seahawks on the flight deck of the anti-submarine frigate HMAS Stuart when three suicide boats launched a coordinated attack in an attempt to cripple two offshore Iraqi oil terminals – ABOT and KAAOT – which can pump up to three million barrels of oil a day. 

“The mission was to head right up into the North Arabian Gulf, protecting the little waterway that goes in to Kuwait, but the main job was to protect these two oil rigs because there was the threat of a terrorist attack,” he said.

“We'd get up, prepare the aircraft, and the aircraft would go out on a surveillance flight.

“Our Seahawk would be out there for hours, but it’s a great area for fishing too, and at night you would see dozens of these local fishing boats, called dhows, coming out from the shore to catch fish to sell in the markets the following day.

“Our afternoon patrol was when these dhows started coming out, so we sent our Seahawk off for what we thought was a routine patrol.

“The Americans off the USS Firebolt had put their boat in the water too … keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious.

“And it was at this particular point that things started to happen.” 

HMAS Stuart

Just on dusk, a small fishing dhow was spotted heading toward one of the oil terminals at full speed.  Manned by a single driver, and packed with explosives, the dhow detonated when a rigid-hulled inflatable from the American patrol boat, USS Firebolt, drew alongside to investigate. Three American sailors were killed and four were seriously wounded.

“That particular moment in 2004 … it wasn't about a job anymore,” Fred said.

“It was about serving our country and doing what we were trained to do.

“Our Seahawk was hovering over where the dhow had exploded, and our air crewman – Ben Sime – jumped in the water to help save the Americans.

“He was awarded a gallantry medal, and I’m so proud of him and what he did.

“But we actually lost him at one stage.

“We didn’t know where he was, and we thought we’d actually lost him.

“But we did what we had to do.

helicopter

“Our Tactical Officer/Flight Commander got in the back [of the Seahawk] and started to operate the winch, so we could winch people out of the sea.

“We knew there was going to be worse to come, as we started bringing bodies on board.

“There was one [American] fellow who was mortally wounded, and as we were bringing him in to the hangar, we were trying to hold him together.

“He died on us a number of times, and as we were trying to revive him, his hand flopped out. He had a wedding ring on. And that's when this person suddenly became real. It wasn’t training anymore. He was real person. And they’re the things that I really struggle with.

“I had his blood on me, and I didn't know until I turned the red lights off in the hangar the following morning.

“I’d turned on the white lights to brief the boys and they're looking at me horrified because I was covered in blood from top to bottom and I didn't know.

“We were back to the reality that the Middle East is a dangerous place, and that things happen.

“But I'll say over and over again, I'm so proud of the boys and what they did.”

helicopter

Fred’s story is told in a new podcast series that explores the lives of modern veterans and what it means to be a veteran.

Hosted by Walkley Award-winning journalist Adam Shand, Up Close: Conversations with modern veterans is a six-episode podcast series developed in partnership between the Australian War Memorial and LiSTNR .

The Memorial’s fourth podcast series, it shares the experiences of four veterans: former Royal Australian Navy Warrant Officer Fred Campbell OAM; Indigenous Elder for the Australian Army, Quandamooka Elder of the Noonuccal and Ngughi tribes in South-East Queensland, Aunty Lorraine Hatton OAM; former Australian Army Trooper David Nicolson, who survived four IED explosions in Afghanistan; and former Royal Australian Air Force Reservist Dr Kim Morgan-Short, who has been widowed twice.

Fred Campbell when he joined the Navy

Fred when he joined the Navy in January 1982. Photo: Courtesy Fred Campbell

For Fred, the podcast is particularly special.

A strong veteran advocate, he joined the Navy as an apprentice engines and airframes fitter in January 1982.

“I joined at 15 and a half, straight from school … full of excitement and dread,” he said.

“It was somewhere between a boarding school and the island of … Lord of the Flies, with 800 under 18-year-olds.

“But I didn’t join to fight for Queen and country … that came later.

“At 15 and a half, I could barely scratch myself … So I joined the Navy, not for Queen and country as we so often talk about, but to get an apprenticeship…

“My father was a tradesman, my grandfather was a tradesman… And I was good at school, but I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I used to.

“Mum and Dad said I could only leave school at Year 10 if I got a job … so I applied for five different apprenticeships, and the Navy was just one of them.

“This bloke came into my school one day wearing a uniform, and I thought, ‘That looks all right, I reckon I could look good in that,’ and so that's what made me choose the Navy.

“I originally joined to be a stoker, so I was going to be a fitter and turner, and then they said I could [get a trade in] engines and airframes.

“And I'm glad I went down that path, because I'm not a plane spotter, but I do love a good aircraft.”

Melbourne

Fred went on to lead crews in aircraft maintenance and had multiple postings as ship’s warrant officer.  He speaks frankly about the suicide attack on USS Firebolt, and his battles with post-traumatic stress disorder, which went undiagnosed for 10 years.  He credits his wife, Sharon, a fellow Navy veteran, for helping him through, and hopes that sharing his story will help others.

“I found out that people were tiptoeing around me because I was so angry,” Fred said.

“But I didn't know what I was angry for … I had nightmares [and] I just wasn't in a very good place whatsoever.

“It wasn't till I really started going to see the psychs and talking to people that I could put two and two together.”

Helicopter

Today, Seahawk 872 is part of the National Collection at the Memorial, along with a Squirrel helicopter that Fred worked on during the 1991 Gulf War.

“It makes me quite proud, and it makes me nostalgic,” he said.

“And I'm thankful for that.

“There's nothing better than a huge aircraft landing on the back of a flight deck, or being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean … and the water's a beautiful crystal blue.

“You can't beat it when you're operating at your absolute peak, or you're doing what you signed up to do.

“But to have those ones, [the aircraft] that we actually took up and did operational service with [as part of the National Collection at the Memorial], it's actually quite emotional … especially the Seahawk … that was my aircraft, and so it makes me feel sentimental, nostalgic, and quite proud.

 “I always say to people … it doesn't matter if you’ve served one day, or 40 years … you’ve served your country and you're doing something that not many people have done, or will do in the future.

“It's way beyond a job... It’s a calling.

“You're doing something special for your country.

“And I'm proud of everyone who's served.”

Fred and his wife Sharon

Fred pictured with his wife, Warrant Officer Sharon Campbell. Photo: Courtesy Fred Campbell

Fred was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Military Division for meritorious service in 2013 and retired from the Navy in 2017.

Today, he is a strong advocate for veterans, and for sharing their stories.

“Telling the stories of modern veterans is so important,” he said.

“We are real people who were asked to do extraordinary jobs for their country.

“I deal with a lot of our veterans, from young ones right through to one in his 90s.

“There's just so much in their heads … and if we don't share these stories, they get lost over time, and they get forgotten.

“So for me, it’s about posterity.

Fred

Fred was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia at a ceremony held at Government House, Sydney. Photo: Courtesy Defence

“I did nearly 36 years in the Navy and I'm really proud to have served … so I’m quite chuffed [to be involved in the podcast series].

“It just means that my story continues, so when I’m long gone, hopefully this story is still out there, and people will know what this fellow called Fred Campbell did as part of our great Australian Defence Force.

“It's been a great journey … a great adventure … and I wouldn't have missed it for anything.”

Up Close

UP CLOSE

Up Close: Conversations with modern veterans is available on the Memorial website and through all major podcast platforms. 

Listen to the podcast

Defence All-hours support line – The All-hours Support Line (ASL) is a confidential telephone service for ADF members and their families that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1800 628 036.

Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling Service provides free and confidential counselling and support for current and former ADF members and their families. They can be reached 24/7 on 1800 011 046 or visit the Open Arms website for more information.

DVA provides immediate help and treatment for any mental health condition, whether it relates to service or not. If you or someone you know is finding it hard to cope with life, call Open Arms on 1800 011 046 or DVA on 1800 555 254. Further information can be accessed on the DVA website.

Author

Claire Hunter

Last updated: 14 April 2022

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