Lucky in love and war, veteran pilot recounts stories of World War II

BY SUSAN HOUTS

During his 100 years of life, World War II pilot Richard “Dick” Walter has had quite the journey, finding love on the links and adventure in the skies.

The walls of this Army Air Force veteran’s cozy apartment at Chateau Madeline in Melbourne are covered with pictures and memorabilia of his exciting history.

Well known around the senior living facility for his interesting stories, Walter is quick to share details about his time in the military, especially his time flying “The Hump,” a military route over the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains used to resupply Allied Troops in China.

Flying seems to have always been in his blood. As a young boy, Walter would build model airplanes out of balsa wood and paper. But before finding his own wings in war, Walter had actually enrolled in Cornell to be a veterinarian.

“But I soon discovered that the sight of blood did not enthuse me,” he said.

Before he could make too many more career steps, the war came “and that changed everything:”

“I remember I was in the fraternity house at Cornell when the news came through that Pearl Harbor (attack) happened,”

Walter said. “I turned to one of my classmates and said ‘boy, our life is changing right here and now.’ And that was certainly true.”

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II.

After basic training in Miami Beach, Walter was shipped to India by way of Melbourne, Australia.

“I had never been more than 100 miles away from home,” he said. “This was quite an adventure.”

After spending three years in the China/Burma/India Theater, he was released on Christmas Day 1945. He didn’t give up his wings, however, and kept flying in the Reserves until 1968.

“I saw more places and did more things than I did during the war,” he said.

After his military service, Walter settled into his hobby of playing golf, which is where, in a chance meeting at a golf tournament, he met and fell in love with Joan, his wife of 35 years.

When asked the inevitable question to the secret of his long life, Walter shrugged, smiled and said, “I don’t know; it just kind of happened.” SL