Cpl. Walter Baron

Served as a forward in the Pacific. Excellent marksman. This was the attribute that got him got him the job as forward.

Walter was teamed up with the Indian Talkers. One in particular became a great friend.

They were assigned to go ahead and secure position on high ground so that they coud call coordinates. It was a job for few to excell in because the enemy would seek out where they were and inilate and blind our gunners in another stationary position as to the enemy's gunner's nest was. Forwards were integritable as the eyes (observers) of combat.

Walter liked to tell a story of a new Lt. that came on the scene and ordered what would have been called in these days … friendly fire. Walter asked if they could send a smoke test of some sort and make sure where the bombarding would hit.

The Lt. was very disgruntaled … but Walter held his ground and did the test. It fell well within our lines. The upset and embarrarced Lt. then told Walter to call the coordinets he thought were best.

After Walter died, my brother found his medals. A friend looked up the meaning of them and found that he was awarded one of 8 in exsistance … they were made special for the forwards that went above and beyond their duty. (Being a forward usually didn't have a long life expectancy.)

Thank God we had him around long enough to know him and hear his stories. Uncle Walter was a dreamer and a great storyteller. He loved to read stories and prospecting.

One story that was more fun to hear was his Los Vegas Story…One year he decided to go out to Los Vegas. He bought a new car. Took some money and headed for cards, women and the night life he enjoyed. Out there he met people that picked up on his prospecting weakness and sold him a map to the LOST DUCHMAN'S MINE.

After he wandered around in the desert for awhile … ran out of money sold his car and wandered around. He sold his car or lost in a card game (I was pretty young hearing the story)

But, his one liner he would say proudly … "Yeah I went out in a $10,000 car and came back in a $75,000 Bus!"

On one of the family fishing trips to Minn … he convinced my father to stop in a little town there to find his Windtalker friend. It took my dad several hours to track down a brother of my Uncles friend. Dad had to go home with the sad news that his friend had made it home but, died after coming home.

The things the Windtalkers and Forwards that did survive took tole on their lives when they came home.

One sad Christmas Day, Mom and I had searched all over for guilloshes that he needed in his work or going out into the lot to work. His one stipulation was he wanted nothing MADE IN JAPAN.

It hurt him and my mother so dearly to have to tell him he had to deal with it … those sort of things were not manufactured in the USA anymore.

He was an odd duck. But, miss his stories … Glad we had him home. It has to be so difficult for HEROS to come home to the place he helped keep the same and find that things have the need for change!

Walter Baron (1921)