We expect our elected officials to be truthful; especially the position of Sheriff. Everyone from ordinary citizens to the entire judicial system depend upon law enforcement officials to be straightforward and accurate. It is imperative that the sheriff set the tone for honesty and integrity at the Leon County Sheriff Office (LCSO).
As a retired Colonel with other veterans who have served our country with pride and honor, we pay close attention when people running for office invoke the name of a military branch of service or advertise how they served our great country.
Sheriff Larry Campbell has verbally stated that he was a “Platoon Sergeant” on many occasions. The most recent being on the September 25, 2012 WFSU Perspectives Radio Show when Mr. Campbell stated”…I was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps “
Mr. Campbell has also documented on official LCSO, Florida Sheriff’s Association and his campaign websites that he was a “Platoon Sergeant” in the United States Marines Corps.
We decided to validate Mr. Campbell’s “Platoon Sergeant” statement using a Freedom of Information Act inquiry. The inquiry revealed that Mr. Campbell served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from October 25, 1959 to October 24, 1967 and that Mr. Campbell attained the rank of Corporal (E-4) and not “Sergeant.” For those that may not know, the rank of Sergeant is higher and more prestigious than that of a Corporal.
In other words, Mr. Campbell was Never a Sergeant. His military records indicate that his highest rank he attained was Corporal (E-4). We want Sheriff Campbell to explain his actions on why he felt that it was acceptable to embellish his rank and state he was a Sergeant. We also want to know if Mr. Campbell ever asserted he was a Marine Corps “Sergeant” when testifying under oath. We assume Mr. Campbell would not condone LCSO deputies embellishing their rank during official business.
The embellishment of Mr. Campbell’s military rank is not the only area we found a problem. Again, Mr. Campbell has stated and documented on official websites that he completed a “double major” at FSU in “Criminology and Abnormal Psychology.” However, official records from FSU demonstrate that Mr. Campbell did not complete coursework to obtain a double major but has a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree awarded on August 12, 1965 in Social Welfare.
To make matters worse, on Facebook, one website and in a previous verbal statement Mr. Campbell said and/or inferred that he has a Master’s Degree from the University of Virginia while on other websites Mr. Campbell does not include the Master’s Degree. There appears to be clear information that Mr. Campbell received some college credits only (unknown if graduate level) for the FBI National Academy class he attended in 1972. Documentation from a degree verifier shows Mr. Campbell attained no graduate degree from the University of Virginia and had “enrollment only.”
This pattern of untruthful behavior is unacceptable and has us wondering what other areas Mr. Campbell has been dishonest about.
Colonel Cedric F. Wingate, Sr., USA (Ret)
William “Cobra” Staubs, U.S. Navy (Honorable Discharge)
October 3, 2012 at 11:22 AM
I as a vet signed this letter and I encourage you to do likewise. I lost comrades in many wars and its an honor to serve our country. Let no man promote himself. There comes a price with rank and Larry can not embellish his with out PENILITY Show him on Election Day ❗
October 3, 2012 at 5:59 PM
I agree. Time to vote him out . Hopefully the citizens of this county will hold him accountable , what a slap in the face to all of us that have served.
October 4, 2012 at 7:52 AM
I agree 100% with this letter. I am a “military brat”; my dad proudly served in the Army for 28 years. He retired as Master Sergeant. He served several tours in the Vietenam War. My dad wasn’t drafted, he volunteered. My dad (being a black man) learned that while in the swamp fighting a war where unspeakable things were happening all around him, the color of a man’s skin, was of no concern what-so-ever. To let race play a factor in the way you treat a person–is plain ignorance. That’s how he raised all seven of his children–to be racist is to be ignorant. That’s why on January 28, 2011 (with my 17-year-old son by my side), I was stunned by the racist statements spewing out of Det. Don Odham’s mouth. He spoke as if he cared nothing about the ground that he was laying for me to file a complaint and a Civil Rights violation lawsuit against him. It was as if he knew that he would not have to explain his actions–more like he would be applauded for his boldness to express his racism. In deed, Sheriff Larry Campbell replaced Det. Melinda McBride with Det. Don Odham–making him the lead detective over the double homicide case. Why? Because Det. Odham was simply just modeling his leader–Sheriff Larry Campbell. Don Odham has since been FIRED from LCSO. While Sheriff Larry Campbell’s lies continue to mount up, his racism shares the stage with his sexism i.e. his remarks about Lisa Sprague. Larry Campbell is a disgrace to all of those like my son’s paternal grandmother who is a Sergeant in the Army–who fought in Somalia and has been to Iraq and Afghanistan. She also taught her kids to look past race. That’s what strong military families do–they recognize that they’re not perfect; they lead by example; they don’t reward their lying subordinates and they don’t tell lies on top of lies on top of lies to make themselves look creditable. Instead they stand on their TRUE record. How DARE Larry Campbell knowingly FALSELY incarcerate the grandson of two military leaders and then try to elevate himself to their level of hardwork and integrity. A HARD slap in the face to all of those that have served.