Walter joined the Army Air Corp in 1943, after graduating for Manlius Military School, Manlius, New York, and served in Europe during WWII as a tail-gunner on a B24 Liberator, flying 21 missions. One of Walter's proudest accomplishments was maintaining lifelong relationships with the men he served with during the war. After serving his country, Walter graduated from the University of Maine with a business degree and lived and worked in the New England area for several years before relocating his family to Scotland Neck, NC,