Lucas Joseph Walter Sr. (1920 - 1955)

Born 19 Apr 1920 in North Braddock, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Virginia Mae (Wise) Fleck — married 4 Apr 1947 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

Died 23 Nov 1955 at age 35 in North Braddock, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

Lucas was born in 1920. Lucas Walter ... He passed away in 1955. ^[1]

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Death

Death:

Date: 23 Nov 1955

Place: North Braddock, Allegheny, PA, USA

Cause: Coronary Thrombosis

Christening

Christening:

Date: 1920

Place: Braddock, Allegheny, PA, USA

Burial

Burial:

Place: Braddock, Allegheny, PA, USA

Name: Braddock Catholic Cemetery (Soldier's Section)

Event

Event:

Type: Birth

Date: 19 Apr 1920

Event:

Type: Entered AD Service

Date: 5 Mar 1942

Event:

Type: Left for OS (Hawaii)

Date: 21 Apr 1942

Event:

Type: Arrived in Hawaii

Date: 28 Apr 1942

Note: Return address on postcards was 73rd Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group

Event:

Type: 73rd Fighter Group in Hawaii

Date: May 1942

Note: Historical records show that the 73rd Fighter Group was stationed at Bellows Field, Hawaii through May 1942

Event:

Type: 73rd Fighter Group at Midway Island

Date: Jun 1942

Note: 73rd Fighter Group was stationed Midway Island beginning June 1942.

Event:

Type: Army Air Force 73rd Fighter Squadron

Date: 15 Oct 1942

Note: The Army Air Force 73rd Fighter Squadron assigned to the 318th Fighter Group. It had been initially attached to the 18th Pursuit (later Fighter) Group.

Event:

Type: 73rd Fighter Group back in Hawaii

Date: 26 Jan 1943

Note: Historical records show that the 73rd Fighter Group was back from Midway and stationed again at Bellows Field, Hawaii.

Event:

Type: 73rd Fighter Group on Saipan

Date: Jun 1944

Note: 73rd Fighter Group leaves Hawaii and is on Saipan, an island in the Pacific, in June 1944.

Event:

Type: Returned from OS

Date: 6 Nov 1944

Event:

Type: Crile Gen’l Hospital Inpatient

Date: 25 Dec 1944

Event:

Type: Separated from AD Service

Date: 28 Oct 1945

Note: Continental Service: 1 Year, 1 Month, 9 Days

Foreign Service: 2 Years, 6 Months, 15 Days

Longevity for Pay Purposes: 3 Years, 7 Months, 24 Days

Event:

Type: Married

Date: 19 Apr 1947

Event:

Type: Death

Date: 23 Nov 1955

Note: Frank Gerald Walter & Therese Ruth Walter & Virginia Mae Wise & Lucas J. Walter, Jr. From Virginia Mae Wise: "Taken April 19 - 47: Uncle Frank Walter, Aunt Therese Walter Braill, Virginia + Luke Walter. Our Wedding day taken in front of Virginia's home on Lundine St., Braddock, PA. These homes were torn down in the early 60s."

Notes

Note MI2(Medical):From Fr. Joseph Lawrence Walter:

Although this is in conflict with the Death Certificate, there is the possibility of misdiagnosis of cause of death: "Luke was one of the few people that died with Trychanosis. He contracted the disease after eating some raw ground meat for which he had a liking."

Note NI2From Virginia Mae Wise:

Worked as an arc welder at American Chain and Cable Co. in Braddock. Loved to play pinochle. Died of a coronary thrombosis at 12:30 AM on Wednesday, 23 Nov 1955.

From Mary Grace Walter in a phone call with Lucas Joseph Walter on 18 April 2009:

Luke loved to work on his Dad's car (she thinks it was a Ford), keeping it in good shape and washing and waxing it. None of the children had cars, so sometimes their Dad would ask them if they'd like to take it for a drive and would loan it to them for the day or evening.

From Mary Grace Walter in a telephone conversation with Lucas Joseph Walter, Jr. on 4 May 2009:

The day my Dad died, he had gone upstairs to the bedroom to get ready for bed, and fell so hard on the bed that my Mom heard it. My Mom went upstairs and said "You really fell hard"--but he was dead. What I remember from that day is the ambulance crew coming and carrying a stretcher and my Mom keeping us boys at the top of the hallway staircase away from the activity downstairs.

According to Elmer Walter in a phone conversation with Lucas Joseph Walter, Jr. on 18 June 2009:

During the war Lucas Walter Sr.'s job in the Pacific Theater was loading cameras and film on bombers. Elmer does not know if he ever flew on the airplanes; after the war, he would not talk about the war with anyone except his dad.

After the war and back in Pennsylvania, Lucas had a post-traumatic stress attack when he thought he was at Pearl Harbor and thought the Japs were attacking. He dragged his wife Virginia under the bed by the hair. The Veteran's Administration came and took him to the VA hospital for treatment. His brother Frank had several such post-traumatic stress breakdowns, but this is the only one Elmer knows about that Lucas suffered.

In general, though, Elmer said that Lucas was big and strapping (like his Dad), was never sick, and never complained about anything. He went over to his Dad's house almost every evening to play cards or watch the fights on TV, and that's why it was so unusual that, on the day he died, he didn't come over because he had "indigestion". He died at 12:30 AM that night--on his Dad's 60th birthday.

In a phone call on 30 Jun 2009 between Edna Marie Protheroe and Lucas Joseph Walter, Jr:

I asked my Aunt Marie if she knew any of the details about my Dad's time at Crile Army Hospital in Cleveland. She said he broke his arm falling off an airplane wing--but that's the only time she remembers him being in the hospital. She didn't know about the time at the Crile Army Hospital.

She said Luke spent his whole time in Hawaii; worked on planes on the ground--did not fly. Knew about the one Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder episode when he thought he was back in the war, but she doesn't remember if he went to the Crile Army Hospital for that.

Luke and her husband Frank were close before the war. Marie and Frank double-dated with Luke and another girl before the war; Luke and Virginia met after the war.

Sources

1. ↑ First-hand information as remembered by Lucas Walter, Tuesday, January 28, 2014. Replace this citation if there is another source.

This biography was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import. Walter-1615 was created by Lucas Walter through the import of Ancestors of Virginia Mae Wise (1923-2009).ged on Jan 21, 2014. This comment and citation can be deleted after the biography has been edited and primary sources are included. It's a rough draft and needs to be edited.