Glenn Dale Walker and Edward Lee Walker
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| Probably taken in late 1944 or early 1945, Ed and Glenn Glenn |
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| Glenn's high school graduation 1937 or 1938 from Wolf High School |
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| Glenn and Doris Cox were married in December, 1943 |
Daddy, me, momma, Pearl, Betty, and Glenn - 1944
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Glenn's retirement party from the USAF in 1961. Also shown are his wife Doris and son Terry Wayne. Glenn was a meteorologist in the Air Force and served in the Far East during WWII. Other duty stations that I remember were Bermuda, Randolph AFB in San Antonio, Guam, Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, and then back to Randolph were he lived when he retired. Just a few memories that seem as clear as if they happened yesterday. Joyce and I discovered a truism many years ago that we apply to our memory - if we were emotionally involved in the event, our memory is in the 95-100% range. If not affected emotionally, it is anyone's guess as to the accuracy of our retelling of what occurred. Any way, here goes. I remember visiting Glenn, Doris, and Terry at Randolph in the early 1950's at Christmas time with daddy and momma. They had purchased me a suit, the first one that I had ever possessed. I recall it was sort of a gray tweed color and about six sizes too big. It seems like I was able to wear that suit 5-6 years later and it finally fit. However, I was required to wear it often during that period and I can almost still feel the shame and embarrassment from having to wear something that was obviously too big for me. I am sure that I used to have a picture of me in that suit but I seem to have misplaced it............ Another vivid memory was a visit to Glenn and Doris in Fairborn, Ohio which is where they lived when he was stationed at Wright-Patterson. I think I was 15 which would have made it the summer of 1957. I remember eating meals at the officer's club and I thought that was very special. We attended an air show at the base and a jet crashed while performing. The jet went down in the backyard of a nearby neighborhood and the pilot was killed. They later found a wrench in the wreckage that should not have been there but I don't believe the cause of the crash was ever determined. The trick that the team of four was performing entailed the jets coming toward each other and then doing a sharp climb in four opposite directions before they collided. I watched the one that went over my head and subsequently saw some black smoke. At that same instance, a fire truck with sirens blaring left the base headed for the crash scene. I've never really enjoyed air shows since that time. Guess I should get over it, huh? A pleasant memory from that same visit included my helping Glenn and Doris in Vacation Bible School. In God's providence, the theme song for the week was "It Took A Miracle". I memorized the song then and it has been very special to me over these many years. Look it up and read the words or find a You Tube and listen to it. The lyrics describe the wonders of our marvelous God both in creation and in salvation. On Tuesday, August 30, 1988, I went home early (around 10:00 AM) from work. I didn't feel well and also sensed an urgency to go home. Only later, would it become clear why I was at home that morning. Less than an hour after I got home, Terry called and said that Glenn had passed away from a massive heart attack. Later results suggest he might have even had two attacks back to back. He had just come it from changing a flat tire on his silver Continental and sat down in the office. The emergency responders were unable to resuscitate him. Glenn had suffered a mild heart attack in his 40's but I know none of the particulars of that. One of the hardest things that I have ever done was driving to Seminole to tell my mother that another of her children had preceded her in death. Joyce, the kids, and I took mom to San Antonio for the funeral and Glenn had a military burial at Ft Sam Houston.  |
Ed
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Ed and Daddy, 1940 or 41 |
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| Ed joined the Army Air Corps in August, 1943 |
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| Ed and me, don't think I had turned two yet. |
I have no actual memories of Ed, only pictures. I was only 2 and 1/2 when he was killed in Germany during WWII. Stories I have heard include his above average athleticism (nothing that I also inherited), his intelligence (he shared a small amount with me), his good looks (obvious from his pictures), his faith (he had professed Christ as his savior), and his love of country. Word is that a failed romance caused him to join the service. I am in possession of letters that he wrote from Belgium shortly before his death. In those letters, he always assured everyone that he was in no danger and that God was by his side. Documentation after his death indicate that he was killed after a head wound from shrapnel during the battle for Remagen Bridge on the Rhine River. Below are bits of memorabilia from the time of his death through the return of his body from overseas.
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I cannot imagine the horrible feeling of receiving a telegram such as this. |
I don't think these two letters require any explanation. Ed's body was returned to the US over three years later and a memorial service was held at the First Baptist Church in Seminole on May 10, 1948. One of my deepest longings is to reunite with Ed in heaven and get to know him as a brother forever.
P.S. He always signed his name Edd and his nickname growing up was "Jim". I have no explanation for either of those.
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| Modern picture of Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium where Ed was buried from 1945-1948. |
Songs that were sung at Ed's funeral include Precious Memories (mom's favorite song), Safe in the Arms of Jesus, and Nearer My God to Thee. Every Memorial Day after that, we attended the military observance at the cemetery in Seminole. My mother always cried when they blew Taps.
2 Cor 5:6-10 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord — for we walk by faith, not by sight — we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad
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