The Graybeards – KWVA - Korean War Veterans Association

the U.S. Army in the grade of colonel
after 41 years of service as an enlisted
man, infantry officer, and medical officer,
and served as a private first class in
Walker’s Eighth Army in 1950. Heefner
is a graduate of the U.S. Army
Command and General Staff College
and the U.S. Army War College. His
broad civilian and military education
and experience provide him with unique
qualifications to write this first critical
biography of General Walton H. Walker.
He is also the author of Twentieth
Century Warrior: The Life and Service
of Major General Edwin D. Patrick.
Patton’s Bulldog book signing. Shown left to
right are Gen. Sam Walker USA (Ret), Dick
Predmore and Dr. Wilson Heefner Col. USA (Ret)
Gen. Sam Walker USA (Ret.) signs book for KWVA veteran Bill MacSwain.
Louis Holmes waits his turn.
Foreword
Gen. Walton H. Walker is often
called a bulldog because of his physical
appearance: his short stature, solid
frame, and pugnacious look. Gen.
George S. Patton, Jr. thought those
attributes to be hardly helpful to anyone
who aspired to military leadership.
Walker’s performance on the battlefield
changed Patton’s mind.
One of Patton’s illustrious subordinates,
staying with Patton’s Third Army
throughout the last eight months of
World War 11, General Walker commanded
the XX Corps in the 1944-1945
campaign of northwest Europe. He
accepted without question or complaint
all missions assigned to him and fulfilled
his duties with enthusiasm and
dispatch. By driving forward with slashing
speed, Walker surprised his adversaries
to such an extent that his organization
became known as the “Ghost
Corps.” By his determination and skill,
Walker accomplished the seemingly
impossible task of capturing the city of
Metz, which was protected by half a
hundred formidable forts. All these
activities gained Patton’s admiration
and cemented their friendship.
Despite Walker’s immense contributions
to victory in the Second World
War, his fame rests on his exceptional
action in the Korean Conflict, specifically,
his miraculous defense of the
Pusan Perimeter in
1950. In command
of the Eighth Army,
he demonstrated
great professional
competence and
courage in a deadly
contest of utmost
importance. In the
blazing heat of
summer, during a
struggle that was
touch and go for
several months,
Walker shifted units
of his scant forces
to parry the thrusts
of a far stronger
opponent who came
close to overwhelm-
ing his positions. Had Walker failed to
preserve his foothold, the American and
Allied forces, joined under the United
Nations banner, would have had to
abandon Korea and retire to Japan-a
crushing defeat. The commitment of the
Free World to save the Republic of
Korea from being overrun by
Communist aggression would have then
come to naught. Instead, Walker’s triumph
ensured eventual success.
Dr. Wilson Heefner’s full-length portrait
follows General Walker from his
birth and early years in Texas, through
his West Point and post-academy days,
to his significant participation in World
War I, when he commanded a machine
gun battalion in France with distinction.
Marked for high rank in the army,
Walker pursued learning, education, and
experience during the interwar period.
His attainments led to his wartime
excellence in Europe and Korea.
Heefner’s biography is sensitive and
telling. For example, with a few deft
strokes he makes clear Walker’s relationships
with his two principal superior
officers, Patton in Europe and Gen.
Douglas MacArthur in the Far East.
Walker’s feelings toward them were
altogether different; yet, in accordance
with traditional military behavior, he
showed the same responses to their
instructions and gave both his best.
The picture of General Walker
emerging from Dr. Heefner’s pages
shows not only the pugnacious bulldog
but also a dedicated soldier who embodied
in his service and in his life the most
worthy qualities of American military
leaders.
By Martin Blumenson
(A special book about a dedicated soldier
that fought a great battle with many
of us in the early years of the Korean
War with less then adequate equipment
and training. A 348 page book with
maps photos and text. This book will be
available in bookstores or can be
obtained by calling toll free 1-888-948-
6263 or e-mailing .
White Mane Publishing
Co., 63 West Burd Street, Shippensburg,
PA 17257. Cost $29.95)
September/October, 2002 Page 53