At Rapid City Air Force Base Bill was trained in the new B-29's. When the Korean War broke out he was transferred to Korea where he flew 55 bombing missions, mostly at night, earning a Bronze Star and the Air Medal. By the end of his career he had fourteen awards and campaign ribbons. He recalls that on one night mission he saw a vehicle with lights on operating in enemy territory. He was flying at 18,000 feet. In order to see better, he took off his oxygen mask and got a bulls eye on the truck.

Bill had started on a degree at IU in Chemistry where he also had to study physics, math, and scientific German. In service he was able to continue his studies. In New Jersey he went to the university two nights a week, until he was transferred to Houston where he received his degree in Economics. After subsequent courses, he lacked two credits for a Master's degree.

In 1961 Lt. Colonel Walker was sent to Vietnam as advisor to the Comptroller of the South Vietnamese Air Force. In 1962 he was named comptroller of the 5th Bomb Wing. In a non-combatant assignment he was in his office when the North Vietnamese staged a powerful assault into the South of the country. Bullets and rockets slammed into his building, where his only defense was a pistol and an M-1 rifle.

After retirement from the Air Force, Bill and his wife Kay settled in Sacramento where he was able to exercise his hobby of cooking. He and a partner opened a restaurant where he tried to introduce a Hoosier favorite, the tenderloin sandwich, into California. This sandwich was unknown there. Although he did well, his partner wanted to quit, so they sold out.

He then went to work for the Sheriff's Department. There he exercised his talents and business studies to straighten out the confusion in the department's records. He organized everything and put them on the computer. This lasted ten years until he was eligible for another retirement.

Today Colonel Walker enjoys playing golf. The course on which he plays has wild plum trees all around, so he stops his golf cart, stands up in it, and picks plums. These he converts into jam for his friends and family. He said his best golf score ever was 76. He has one son, and two grandchildren in college, all doing famously.

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