Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Hogan, Adjutant General, poses with Brig. Gen Scott A. Campbell after he awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal during the retirement ceremony held at the Billy G. Wellman Armory on Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky., Nov. 15, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Crane)
By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Crane,
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Army
Brig. Gen. Scott A. Campbell was honored for nearly 40 years of service in
the Kentucky National Guard during his retirement ceremony at the Wellman
Armory on Boone National Guard Center Nov. 15.
Gen. Campbell leaves his
post as Assistant Adjutant General where he served as the Land
Component Commander with full command responsibility for all the
Kentucky Army National Guard Forces.
“The best thing I ever did was
hire this man to be commander,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen R. Hogan,
Adjutant General, and long time friend of Campbell.
He continued to praise the
impact Campbell has had on him and the Kentucky Guard as a whole.
Brig. Gen Scott A. Campbell speaks to the crowd during the retirement ceremony held at the Billy G. Wellman Armory on Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky., Nov. 15, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin Crane)
“To serve almost five separate decades (45 days short) you need to be able to do a few things to be in uniform for that length of time. The first thing is you have to be good at what you do; Through the 36 years that I have served, one of the very best Soldiers that I have met is Scott Campbell,” said Hogan. “The very best commander I have ever seen, from captain to one-star, I can testify; Soldiers in his command knew they were safe and with that kind of confidence, Kentucky guardsmen could do anything.”
Campbell joined the
service when he was 20 years old and has spent two-thirds of his life in
uniform.
“I have few memories of life
out of uniform and the few I have, continue to fade,” said
Campbell of his many years of service to the military. “The best times of
my life are associated with this uniform.”
Campbell commissioned from the
Kentucky Military Academy OCS program in 1984. But before he became an officer,
He served his enlisted time in Alpha Company, 1-123rd Armor Battalion in
Marion, Ky.
“They say that
your last speech is typically your best speech, and I have
given hundreds of speeches, and I cant promise it will
be be my best speech, but it is definitely my last,” joked Campbell during
the ceremony.
He went on to thank all the
influential people in his life
including the former Adjutant General of Kentucky, Maj.
Gen. Edward W. Tonini (ret.), who presided over his very
first promotion ceremony.
“These are friendships like no
other based on common goals, trust, and hardship,” he said of the
friendships he’s made while serving. “This is a bond that once
established; it’s a bond for life.”
During the ceremony, Campbell
was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by Kentucky’s TAG.
Campbell said that he will
take his newfound free time after his retirement to spend with his family and
try to make up for holidays and birthdays he’s had to miss through
the years.
“Needless to say, all my experiences have shaped who I am today and I’m grateful for those who have been beside me along the way,” added Campbell.