Walter Duggan

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Biography

Walter Duggan was born on December 1, 1921 in Bradford, McKean, Pennsylvania, United States, son of Walter Damrosch Duggan (~1893–1962) and Anna Pankraz (~1895–~1975).^[1][2]

Walter married Muriel Young, child of James Young and Rachel (Silverstone) Young.^[3] Their children were:

• Fleur Duggan
• Jim Duggan

There were a cluster of homes at or adjacent to the top of Sanford street occupied by Walter's parents, grandparents, and a variety of other cousins and uncles. Walter is found on Sanford Street with his parents in both the 1930 ^[4] and 1940 ^[5] Census returns.

Walter attended Bradford public schools, first the 4th Ward primary school and then Bradford High School, graduating in 1939. Outside of school, Walter delivered papers for the Bradford Era and worked as a theater usher.

He enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering Coop program at Drexel in the fall of 1939. He lived with his uncle and aunt, Raymond and Gertrude Dougherty, in Germantown and commuted to school. He had at least one coop assignment with Martin Baltimore. During one of his coop assignments, he worked with the flight test team developing what became the Martin Mars flying boat.

Walter was a member of the Aviation Cadet program at Drexel. He was called to active duty in 1943 and enlisted as a private in the Army Air Corps on 20 Nov 1943 at Goldsboro, North Carolina. (Seymour-Johnson AAF). ^[6] He completed Officer Candidate School (Boca Raton, FL) and Aircraft Maintenance training at Yale. He was first assigned to a P-47 training wing at Seymour-Johnson Field. He volunteered to be sent to the China-Burma-India theatre but was transferred to Europe as a Maintenance Officer for a base that operated P47s and P-61s in Austria. He also was assigned to Aircraft Disposal. Family photos show lines of B-17s and other aircraft prepared for burning.

When the Air Force was formed from the Air Corps, it was clear that flying officers would have precedence, so Walter remained in Army. He remained in Germany and served as a Train Commander. He operated two trains as VIP transport and in shuttle service between Frankfurt and Heidelberg. He interacted with Generals x and y and participated in the US-conducted tour of the Western zones by officers of the Czech Army.

The occupying forces were headquartered at the IG Farben Building in Frankfurt. He met Muriel Young there sometime in 1947. They subsequently married on 12 May 1948 at St Laurence, the parish church near her family home in Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, England. ^[7].

The couple flew back to the US at the end of 1948. ^[8]

Walter was assigned to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland and attended the Ordnance Advanced School. ^[9]

He then served at Springfield Arsenal during the development of the M14 rifle and the testing of the Vulcan 20mm guns. He next was assigned to Korea as a Company Commander of an Ordnance Company.

Subsequent to his tour in Korea, he was assigned as an ROTC instructor at Lehigh. While at Lehigh, he completed coursework for his Drexel degree (..1954-1958). Under Army sponsorship, he then attended Babson Institute and obtained an MBA in 1960. The next assignment was to Mannheim, Germany Ordnance Industrial Center as part of the Seventh Army Support Command, His final assignment was in Washington with the Army Material Command. He retired in June of 1967 as a Lt Colonel after 23 Years of service.^[9] After a brief time with a consultancy, he returned to the Army Material Command as a civilian until 1985.

Walter died on July 10, 2004 in Fairfax, Virginia, United States, aged 82. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia.^{[10] [2]}

Research Notes

l was told as a child that my father had been born in an upstairs bedroom of 54 Sanford Street, the house of his grandparents.Duggan-996 22:09, 10 September 2022 (UTC)

Walter stopped using his middle name "Damrosch" and the suffix "Junior" sometime during his military service. He used it on his draft registration. But not in a lot of later records. No original birth certificate has been found, and the draft record is the earliest record of his birth date. Duggan-996 22:09, 10 September 2022 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ Enlistment>U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Find a Grave, database and images ( Find A Grave: Memorial #33468253 walter-duggan: accessed), memorial page for LTC Walter Duggan (1 Dec 1921–10 Jul 2004), citing Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA; Maintained by CindyS (contributor 18484625).
3. ↑ England and Wales Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005, Volume: 4b; Page: 504, General Register Office; United Kingdom; [database on-line] Ancestry.com.
4. ↑ 1930 United States Federal Census: Bradford, McKean, Pennsylvania; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 0008; FHL microfilm: 2341813
5. ↑ 1940 United States Federal Census: Bradford, McKean, Pennsylvania; Roll: m-t0627-03568; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 42-9
6. ↑ U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946.
7. ↑ England and Wales Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005, Volume: 4b; Page: 504, General Register Office; United Kingdom; [database on-line] Ancestry.com.
8. ↑ "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, i/FamilySearch/i (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/245H-DB8 : 3 October 2015), Walter Duggan, 1948; citing Immigration, New York City, New York, United States, NA
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} DD-Form 214 for Walter Duggan, in files of James Duggan
10. ↑ Virginia Deaths, 1912-2014; Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, Virginia

See also:

• WWII Draft Registration Cards for Pennsylvania, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 653; The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri;