Walrad was a respected military leader. At different times, he was General Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation and of the United Provinces of the Netherlands under Prince William III of Orange. In 1664, he hurried to Szentgotthárd, but he came too late to fight in the Battle of Saint Gotthard. In 1683, he fought successfully in the battle to lift the Turkish siege of Vienna. So he had a role in ensuring that the Islamic conquest of Central Europe by the Ottomans failed. For these feats, King John III Sobieski of Poland granted him the Order of the White Eagle, the highest Polish distinction.