Donald Ralph Walters
Sergeant, U.S. Army

On 23 March 2003, then-Sergeant Donald Ralph Walters was serving as a Mechanic with the 507th Maintenance Battalion, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On that date, a huge American convoy headed from Kuwait to Baghdad. A dozen heavy trucks and other maintenance vehicles fell behind the rest and got lost. At sunrise, Iraqi troops ambushed the lost soldiers, firing from both sides of the highway. The Americans sped up to escape the attack, but one Humvee smashed into the back of a jack-knifed American tractor-trailer. SGT Walter's displayed a courage that reflected his gallantry to serve his country and fellow soldiers caught in the ambush. SGT Walters’ courageous actions that day earned him the U.S. Army's third highest award for valor, the Silver Star Medal.

The convoy above was the same one that Private First Class Jessica D. Lynch [Honoree Record ID 306656] was in when she was captured by the Iraqi's following the accident. When the military rescue team freed PFC Lynch, they unearthed 9 bodies from recently-dug graves nearby. One of them held the body of SGT Walters. He was captured by the Iraqi's and killed in captivity on the same day.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Army Achievement Medal with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Prisoner of War Medal
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Combat Action Badge

Silver Star Medal Citation (Synopsis)

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant Donald Ralph Walters, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Mechanic with the 507th Maintenance Battalion, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, near An Nasiriya, Iraq, on 23 March 2003. On that date a huge American convoy headed from Kuwait to Baghdad. A dozen heavy trucks and other maintenance vehicles fell behind the rest and got lost. At sunrise, Iraqi troops ambushed the lost soldiers, firing from both sides of the highway. The Americans sped up to escape the attack, but one Humvee smashed into the back of a jack-knifed American tractor-trailer. Sergeant Walter's displayed a courage that reflected his gallantry to serve his country and fellow soldiers caught in the ambush. Sergeant Walters' gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Burial

Sergeant Donald Ralph Walters is buried at the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery in Fort Leavenworth, Leavenworth County, KS, in Section S, Site 216.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8975489/donald-ralph-walters