FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan.--Fort Leavenworth inducted General Walton H. Walker, most known for the defense of South Korea during the opening stages of the Korean conflict, and General William S. Wallace, former commander of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command into its Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Lewis and Clark Center May 30.
With the devastating invasion of the Republic of Korea by North Korean forces, then Lt. Gen. Walker engaged the enemy with the understrength 8th Army in July 1950. He intended to defend the vital port of Pusan at all costs, the last line of defense on the Korean Peninsula. Courageously conducting a masterful defense of the Pusan Perimeter, Walker turned the tide of the Korean War and enabled the survival of the Republic of Korea. "It seems he was present at the key point of decision at every engagement," said his grandson, Col. (U.S. Army retired) Walton Walker who accepted the Hall of Fame honor on behalf of Gen. Walker's family.
Killed in action in a jeep accident on December 23, 1950, Walker was posthumously promoted to General and, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. "His leadership was what saved that fight," said Lt. Gen. Michael D. Lundy, Commander U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, host of the induction ceremony.
"All of us Walkers have grown up and lived with the incredible legacy of General Walker," said Col. Walker. "He served with such moral and physical courage and integrity and commanded so famously he inspired his son, [General] Sam Sims Walker, to become the great soldier and commander that he was. Our father in turn also inspired my brother Sam, his son Benjamin, and me to follow humbly and proudly in both of their footsteps. General Walton Walker's legacy set the course for Sam and me and our extraordinary Army wives to parent our children to be all they can be whatever they do. The Walker legacy lives on in each of them."
Lundy added, "If you look back at his time leading the Desert Training Center, now the National Training Center, he set the conditions for us to be able to win in World War II." Wallace also commanded the National Training Center prior to commanding the Combined Arms Center and finally the Training and Doctrine Command. "Today we still feel the positive impact he's had across doctrine, training, and leader development and education," said the current CAC commander.
"I fully realize the recognition is not mine," said Wallace. "Rather it's that of the thousands of Soldiers and leaders with whom I've served over the course of almost 40 years in the uniform of the United States Army, it's that of the many mentors who took pity on me and helped me along the way, it's that of the many friends and family whose support I enjoy both then and now. It's a recognition that our Army as a team whose excellence is insured by the understanding of a common doctrine through tough realistic training under adverse conditions, and the trust that leaders have in their soldiers and Soldiers have in their leaders."
"This [Fort Leavenworth] is a place with one of the most supportive community environments of any place in the Army. This is a place where as a new major, after the rapid pace of the operational Army, I had a chance to reconnect with my family. This is a place where, at the time, we were presented with something called AirLand Battle Doctrine we had the opportunity in the classroom, and occasionally in the mess hall, to debate and ultimately accept its logic," said Wallace.
"Fort Leavenworth has always been a special place," said the former Commandant of the Command and General Staff College. "For decades it's produced the finest leaders of ours and our allied partner's armies. It's a place where professional Soldiers gather to discuss and argue and adapt and learn. Fort Leavenworth is the place that guarantees that thought and learning proceeds action. It's a place where the seeds of the profession are planted early in the year and reach full bloom by the time graduation rolls around."
"There's also a spirit here at Fort Leavenworth. The spirit of our Army," said Wallace. "Some of the most incredible history of our Army is here. The ghosts of Custer and MacArthur and Marshall walk these halls. An Army that is the most gifted and respected in the world, an Army that's older than our nation itself, an Army that from its beginnings has always done the heavy lifting for our nation."
"This is an Army which supported and defended the ideas of freedom and democracy well before there was a constitution to support and defend. This is an Army that has travelled the globe in support of our national interests and the interests of freedom loving people everywhere. This is an Army that once committed brings hope to people and places where there was none. This is an Army that depends on the intellectual foundation that is Fort Leavenworth. I'm proud to have been a small part of all of that," concluded Wallace.
The Ft. Leavenworth Hall of Fame was conceived by Charles Stephenson, an enlisted soldier in World War I and prominent business man with Hallmark in Kansas City. It was established in 1969 by the Henry Leavenworth Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army and Fort Leavenworth to honor "outstanding military and civilian leaders of the Armed Forces of the United States who have served at Fort Leavenworth and made a significant contribution to the achievement, tradition, or history of Fort Leavenworth and the Armed Forces of the United States.
Hall of Fame members are honored by shadow boxes displayed in the Atrium of the Lewis and Clark Center. The display is open for viewing during normal business hours. The hall is organized in eras. Brig. Gen. Henry Leavenworth and the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are included in the pre-Civil War era. The Civil War to World War I era sees Maj. Gen. James Bell, one of the early proponents for professional military education, and generals from North and South, Robert E. Lee, Phillip Sheridan, and William T. Sherman among others. The World War I and II era features the only American Soldiers to wear five stars, Generals of the Army Henry H. Arnold, Omar Bradley, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, and George C. Marshall. The Korea, Vietnam and Cold War era includes leaders in Vietnam Gen. Creighton W. Abrams, and Gen. William Westmoreland, Gen. William DePuy who was the first commander of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, Col. Roger Donlon who as a lieutenant was the first Medal of Honor recipient in Vietnam, and Gen. Colin Powell.
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