Texas History Minute

Walker was stationed in Texas until the United States entered World War I

Dr. Ken Bridges

“All my life I have been a soldier and nothing else,” was the modest claim from one of America’s most determined generals A decorated veteran of three wars, Texas native Walton Walker was respected by his superiors and by the men under his command Though he was only 5 feet 5 inches tall, Walker was a stout figure known for his bravery He would serve 38 years in the army, fighting in some of the nation’s most difficult wars before he gave ultimately gave his own life for his country

Walton Harris Walker was born in December 1889 in Belton, a small community south of Waco The future general had an older brother who died in infancy He could trace his ancestry to veterans of both the American Revolution and the Civil War His father, Sam Walker, was a civic-minded store owner who co-founded the public library in Belton. He was close to his father as a youngster; and his father told him heroic tales of Texas History And his father made sure he had the best education possible, sending him to private schools as a youth and to the Virginia Military Institute after his 1907 high school graduation

From his youth, he had dreams of being a soldier In 1908, he earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy and quickly transferred over from VMI He was a popular cadet, picking up the nickname “Johnnie Walker” He graduated from West Point in 1912

As a new lieutenant, Walker was assigned to the 19th Infantry, based in Illinois With the Mexican Revolution spiraling out of control, Walker was often part of army efforts to contain the chaos In 1914, he was sent to Veracruz to help protect American business interests in the area In 1916, in response to Pancho Villa’s raid on the border town of Columbus, New Mexico, Walker was made part of Gen John J Pershing’s expedition to capture Villa During this expedition, he served with young officers George S Patton and Dwight D Eisenhower, both to become lifelong friends After the expedition’s inconclusive end,

In 1917, now a captain, he was assigned to the 13th Machine Gun Battalion and sent to France He saw action in many intense battles and was cited for his bravery under fire He served with the Allied occupation of Germany before returning to the United States

During the interwar years, Walker served in a variety of posts He married in 1924, and the couple’s son, Sam Sims Walker, named for Walker’s father and deceased brother, eventually became an army general himself. Walker served as an instructor at Fr Benning, Georgia, for a time and also underwent further tactical training by the army From 1930 to 1933, he also commanded an army force in China In 1936, now a lieutenant colonel, Walker commanded the 5th Infantry Brigade under Gen George Marshall, who would serve a pivotal role in World War II as Army Chief of Staff

When the nation entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Walker asked Marshall to serve under Gen Patton as he organized America’s tank forces Walker was promoted to general and commander of the 3rd Armored Battalion where he worked with Patton to perfect fighting techniques with tanks

Patton had established the Desert Training Center, which stretched across portions of California and Arizona, to simulate conditions American troops would face in North Africa After Patton’s transfer to North Africa in 1942, Walker took command of the center and modified it to include infantry and artillery in addition to tanks Ultimately, the Desert Training Center would train more than one million troops during World War II

By 1944, he and the XX Corps were assigned to England in preparation for the Allied invasion of France Ultimately serving under Patton’s Third Army, Walker would help deliver the crippling blow to the Nazis that would lead the Allies to victory

Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor. He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail com

John McCain.

It was a dark, December night in 2014 I traveled from Capitol Hill to the Smithsonian, eager to hear the words offered by one of my heroes I had seen him from afar during my internship on Capitol Hill, but we had yet to exchange any words I was eager for that to change

I sat in wonder as the Senator launched into a description of his newly released book, 13 Soldiers: A Personal History of Americans at War He was interviewed by CNN anchor Jake Tapper After a few obligatory questions regarding the book, Tapper turned to the Senator's life story

McCain indulged Tapper’s questions by speaking about the well-known narrative arc of his life During his early years, he rested on the legacies of those who came before him - both his father and grandfather were Navy admirals - by trying his hardest to avoid expending intellectual energy as a student at the Naval Academy Graduating fifth from the bottom of his class, few could have predicted this man would one day be a Senator and two-time presidential candidate.

He spoke of the years of torture suffered at the hands of the North Vietnamese as a prisoner of war, leaving him with lifelong injuries His response was infused with courage, determining to come home and rebuild the life he lost His time in Vietnam giving birth to a newfound sense of duty “I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s,” he told his party at the 2008 convention.

He spoke that night of the fateful 2008 campaign “After I lost ” he said, “I slept like a baby - sleep two hours, wake up and cry” He erupted in laughter moments after he uttered this line as did the rest of the audience Even in defeat, his courage was evident After all, the White House appeared to be the one thing that remained outside of this man’s reach “2000 was his year,” my mother remarked during the 2008 campaign. His “Straight Talk Express” bus became well known during the 2000 campaign, his friendliness with the reporters