Countywide : A Family’s Final Salute to Gulf Hero

Doris O’Campo said she knew it would be a difficult day Thursday, but she wasn’t prepared for just how hard it turned out to be.

O’Campo, mother of the only serviceman who hailed from Orange County to be killed in the Gulf War, couldn’t keep the tears from flowing as she looked at a large picture of her son, Air Force Capt. Arthur Galvan, displayed at the Orange County Fair.

Fair officials set aside Thursday to honor Desert Storm veterans and their families with free admission in the morning, and added discounts among some vendors. It was a carefree day for most veterans and their families, but it was bittersweet for O’Campo and her family.

The family was invited to be VIPs for the day and participate in a military parade. They wore T-shirts emblazoned with a waving American flag and the words, “Love to Our Hero, Art.”

“It draws a lot of attention,” said Galvan’s sister, Terry Galvan, 27, who said the shirts were designed to honor Galvan’s memory and symbolized the closeness of the family.

“The most important thing is to show our support for him,” she said.

The display, set up along with other military commemorations in the fair’s Fish and Hobbies Building, contains Galvan’s medals, including a Purple Heart and a Silver Star, photographs taken while he was in the service, a memorial resolution from the state Assembly and letters of condolence from government officials. A framed picture of an AC-130 plane carries the names of the 14 people, including Galvan, who died when a plane like it was shot down over Kuwait.

There was also a book set aside for visitors, friends and strangers alike, to write down their thoughts about Galvan. The family--Arthur’s mother, his sister and his brothers Raymond, Larry and Gary Galvan--wept as they each signed the memorial book.

“My dearest son,” read O’Campo’s entry, “It is so hard to accept you’re gone. . . . Son, I am so proud of you. I will always love you very much. God bless. I know you are in a better world. Love, Mom.”

Other entries were written by strangers to show their appreciation for Galvan’s sacrifice in the war.

“(I am) proud of what Arthur Galvan and his comrades did in the name of international peace,” said a note from a man who said he served as a captain in the South African air force.

Another simply read, “Remembered.”

“The responses are all positive. They’re grateful and thankful that we had people like Arthur,” said Cairine Harchut, supervisor of the building that houses the display.

O’Campo said the large color photograph of her son, with an American flag draped over the top and side, evoked memories of the fun her family had when her son, his wife and child visited from their home in Navarre, Fla. She remembered that he had encouraged her to drink orange cappuccino even though she didn’t like coffee, and that he made sure to say goodby to his family and friends before he left for the Gulf.

“My kids have always been No. 1 to me,” she said as she roamed the fairgrounds afterward. “We are a very close family and that’s why we’re hurting. And he’s my oldest, he’s my first child.”