Vietnam War Veteran Triumphs Over PTSD Through Faith, Salsa

Stephen Campos came home from war in Vietnam like many veterans from that era – changed. 

For decades, he didn’t talk openly about his mental health struggles until realizing he could help other veterans by sharing his thoughts. It led to Campos to becoming an advocate for veterans and a successful business owner, selling his trademark Senor Campos Salsa across the Phoenix, Arizona area.  

Campos, an Army veteran, served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, a particularly intense year of fighting in Southeast Asia. As a member of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, the violence he witnessed, all the horrors of war, he kept locked deep inside until only a year ago. 

“I didn’t talk about my Vietnam experience until 2025,” Campos told FOX 10 in Phoenix. “And when I met my Vietnam buddies for the first time... at the Vietnam War Memorial.”

Seeing the names of his fallen comrades triggered memories and raw emotions for Campos he hadn’t experienced in many years. But it also reminded him of the fierce camaraderie he developed with his fellow soldiers, forged in the muggy, wet jungles of Vietnam.  

“We were involved in a horrific firefight,” Campos said. “And that firefight, we bonded together at that time because we were scared and we made a vow that we would come back to the end and reunite after the war if we made it out alive and well. We made it.”

Not a Warm Reception 

Coming home from the war, Campos didn’t receive the celebrations and adulation his predecessors did following World War II. Many Vietnam War veterans were shunned, called names like “baby killers” and worse.  

To add to the disillusionment, the general public couldn’t even comprehend what Campos was dealing with, a mental health battle that wouldn’t even be properly diagnosed until 1980 – post-traumatic stress disorder. 

“I was having a lot of problems,” Campos said. “I got picked up for drunk driving and I had living problems. I hadn’t really addressed the things that I had been through in Vietnam. Everything came to a head in 1982, and I had a spiritual awakening.”

Which changed everything. 

Campos ditched alcohol, began attending group therapy, and leaned on faith. His new, healthy lifestyle led to the veteran launching Senor Campos Salsa, a twist on a family recipe. 

“I love the flavor of my father’s salsa and tortilla chips,” Campos said. “And so, I decided in about 2018 that I wanted to go ahead and just open it up to the public.” 

Books and Salsa 

When he’s not marketing and selling his salsa across Phoenix, Campos is at his desk, writing his next book. The veteran has published a series of books focused on faith, hope and healing. He credits God with saving his life and shares that message through his work. 

“Without God in my life, I’d be nowhere,” Campos said. “I would probably have been killed a long time ago. I probably would end up in some kind of automobile accident or would have committed suicide or something just because of the issues that I had.” 

Going forward, Campos hopes to connect with more veterans through his books, his homemade salsa, and his story of loss and hope.  

“I have a mission now,” Campos said. “My mission is to help people.”