*DALLAS — Boot Campaign (BootCampaign.org) is happy to recognize the accomplishments and military career of Donald E. Walters, Lieutenant Colonel (RET.) U.S. Airforce, during Black History Month 2016.
During his more than 20 years in the Air Force (1980-2003), the Frisco, Texas resident started his military career as a pilot, and then became an acquisitions officer, engineer and later a program manager, managing and testing different major weapons systems in the military.
Among his more rewarding assignments was when he worked with a joint agency, where all of the services were represented, called the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
“I was a test director and we would build chemical, bio facilities, or replicas of those, and then we would blow them up,” recalls Walters, who was a recipient of the prestigious Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Military Tester of the Year Award. “We would see if these weapons we were designing could actually take out these different structures or not.
“The most rewarding was probably when I was in the Pentagon,” he adds. “I served five years in the Pentagon, it was just very enlightening to see, you know, how the military operates. You get that perspective when you work at the headquarters like that.
Walters credits his career to the example set by his father, who “was in the Air Force, and that’s probably why I went into the Air Force because I just enjoyed that life that he lived.” Unlike his enlisted father, Walters went from high school to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he earned a bachelor of science degree in operations research and entered the Air Force as an officer in 1980, an experience he says set him up with lifelong skills.
“It’s all about character and integrity at the service academies,” explains Walters. “I developed this tremendous work ethic. It builds your character and instills you with a lot of integrity and those are the skills that I picked up or learned there that have carried me throughout the rest of my life.”
Thirteen years after graduation from the Air Force Academy, he met his future wife Marie, who also ultimately retired as an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. When they started dating, they learned that Marie had ironically been assigned the same dorm room and bed Donald was issued at the Academy after he had graduated.
“At that point, we realized that we needed to either stop seeing each or we needed to get married,” he explained, “because this was too weird.”
Call it destiny or fate, Donald and Marie made a career and life together thanks to the U.S. Air Force, and he is proud of that union and his career in service of America’s freedom.
“Every assignment I was in I enjoyed,” concludes Walters. “I enjoyed the fact that I met my wife in the military, my kids were born in the military. My kids enjoyed the Air Force life. I just look back fondly in the memories that we had while serving in the military.”
For your 23 years of active duty defending our country, Boot Campaign thanks you for getting your #BootsOn and for your service, Lt. Col. Walters.
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African-Americans and a time for recognizing their role in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African-Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as “Black History Month.”
About Boot Campaign
Established in 2009, Boot Campaign is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to promoting patriotism for America and our military community; raising awareness of the unique challenges service members face during and post-service; and providing assistance to military personnel, past and present, and their families. Retail sales of combat boots, apparel, and mission-focused merchandise, general public donations, and corporate sponsorships fund programs that support military families. Learn more at https://bootcampaign.org and join the #BootsOn community on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @Bootcampaign.
VIDEO PROFILE LINK: Donald E. Walters, Lieutenant Colonel (RET.) U.S. Air Force
https://youtu.be/DaihsKFjGhc
source:
Barry Smith
barrys@bootcampaign
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
