General Walton H. Walker

Forgotton Hero of the Forgotten War

by
Charles M. Province


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Walton H. Walker -- Forgotten Hero


Copyright 2008 by Charles M. Province

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, with the exception of brief review passages.


Special Thanks

I would be inconsiderate if I failed to offer a special note of thanks to Mr. John Toland, author of In Mortal Combat.

Mr. Toland's policy of open access to his research materials at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library helped to make this book possible.

In a letter that Mr. Toland wrote to me, dated August 27, 1995, he verified my conviction that General Walker had, in fact, been "misrepresented by many authors." He wrote further that, "General Walker should be recognized as a remarkable man who faced MacArthur's poor decisions with good grace. The so-called great victory of MacArthur at Inchon was actually a great mistake as I reported in my book. In my previous book, Occupation, he was at his finest as the shogun of Japan but in the Korean War he was at his worst." Mr. Toland also indicated that his Walker information had been further authenticated by General Matthew B. Ridgway.

Although Mr. Toland could not have known it at the time, it was his confirmation of my suspicions and his endorsement of General Walker that finalized my decision to write this book.

I have taken it upon myself to piece together a story using existing evidence from many sources.

On occasion, I have found it necessary to take the liberty of assuming certain things, forming opinions, and making conclusions based on existing pieces of evidence. In much the same way a G-2 might conclude actions, movements, or possible plans of enemy troops without one-hundred percent of the information available, I have done the same with this book. Very often an educated guess can be as good as solid proof.

If any errors, false assumptions, or incorrect conclusions do exist in this book, I bear full responsibility for them-they are mine and mine alone.

I have written this book in an attempt to rectify the unfair, biased, and harsh criticisms leveled at General Walker. During my research, I came to the conclusion that there were a number of half-truths and outright lies told for the purpose of assassinating General Walker's character and ruining his career.

General Walton H. Walker was a great man and great general. I hope this book helps to set the record straight.

Charles M. Province

Oregon City, OR 2008


This book is dedicated to:

My best and oldest friend

Richard Everett


Table of Contents

The Stage is Set

Controversial Issues of the Korean War

Be Prepared -- What Every Good Scout Knows

The Pusan Perimeter

Inchon -- Masterstroke or Mistake?

Divide and Be Conquered

How Does Chinese Chow Sound to Everyone?

The Commander is Dead -- Long Live the Commander

Die For Tie

United Nations -- Senior Military Commanders

Walton H. Walker -- Forgotten Hero

Walker's Combat Lessons

Missing Documents

Official General Orders -- Walker's Awards and Citations

Official List of Walkers Awards, Decorations, and Medals

Walker's Brief History of XX Corps

Bibliography



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