# Former National Guard Bureau chief, Lt. Gen. Emmett Walker, Jr. dies

/ Published Dec. 13, 2007

ARLINGTON, Va. - Lt. Gen. Emmett (Mickey) H. Walker, Jr., a Silver Star recipient who served as the chief of the National Guard Bureau for four years in the early 1980s, died on Dec. 11 after a lengthy illness. He was 83.

The Abbott, Miss., native led the Bureau from Aug. 16, 1982, to Aug. 15, 1986 at the pinnacle of a 42-year military career. He was the second three-star chief. He previously served as director of the Army National Guard.

"We are saddened by the passing of Lt. Gen. Walker. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends," said LTG H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau. "Lt. Gen. Walker was chief at a crucial time in the history of the National Guard. With the approval of the Total Force Policy, the National Guard experienced tremendous growth and modernization, which placed increased responsibilities on Lt. Gen. Walker, and he rose to the occasion. He was a fine gentleman who will be missed by all who knew him, including me."

A highlight of Walker's tenure as chief was his work with the late Rep. G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery crafting the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which increased educational and other military benefits.

Earning both a Bronze Star and a Silver Star, Walker was a platoon leader with the 95th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II, serving in battle in France at the Battle of Metz, the Siegfried Line, the Battle of the Bulge and the Rhineland Campaign.

Discharged from active duty in 1946, he joined the Mississippi National Guard and was mobilized for service in the Korean War in 1951, serving in the Far East Command liaison group in Japan.

"He was a true champion for the National Guard and dedicated his life to serving the state of Mississippi and the nation," Maj. Gen. Harold Cross, Mississippi's adjutant general, said during a visit to Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 12. "He was a Soldier's Soldier in every respect. He meant a great deal to all of us and will be dearly missed by every Citizen-Soldier and -Airman in the Mississippi National Guard."

His service to the Mississippi National Guard included command positions from company to brigade level and a stint as the state's assistant adjutant general before he became the only Mississippian to serve as the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

His tenure as chief saw a resurgence of the National Guard prompted by the Total Force Policy. The post-Vietnam policy treats the Regular Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve as an interdependent single force.

Walker's era also coincided with President Ronald Reagan's expansion of the armed forces in what would later turn out to be the closing years of the Cold War.	For the National Guard, it was a time of growth, modernization and reorganization.

The Army's former chief of staff, Gen. Creighton Abrams, Jr., crafted the Total Force Policy, saying, "We have to make our reliance on the Guard and Reserves real. ... If we make it real in the eyes of the reserve components, then it will be real for the country."

The net effect was that war could no longer be waged without the National Guard, raising the Guard's stature.

Walker came into office with the shadows of the Vietnam War still hanging over the American military. By the time he retired, American forces had increased presence worldwide. Under Walker's leadership, the National Guard had transformed from a force that would mobilize in the event of all-out war to one that could be part of America's first line of defense.

As a member of the advanced infantry ROTC class at Mississippi State University, Walker saw himself and his 29 classmates called to active duty as a group to serve in World War II. Back on campus for a 1993 homecoming reunion, he was belatedly namedÂ  Outstanding Honor ROTC Graduate.

He assumed command of the 4th Battalion, 114th Artillery in 1961. After serving four years as commander of the 631st Artillery Group, Walker was promoted to brigadier general and appointed Mississippi's assistant adjutant general.

He was promoted to major general in 1978 and named director of the Army National Guard. In 1982, President Reagan promoted Walker to lieutenant general and appointed him as the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Walker remained an active champion for the National Guard in retirement, serving as treasurer of the National Guard Association of the United States and taking leadership roles in the National Guard Association of Mississippi. He also held positions in the Military Order of the World Wars and in 2006, the Jackson, Miss., chapter of the organization changed its name to the LTG Emmet H. Walker Jr. Chapter in his honor. He was a member of the Army Historical Foundation, among other organizations.

Also in 2006, the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby was dedicated in honor of Walker, who had helped to found it.

"He was a general officer of great rank and prestige, but he could always talk to the Soldiers," said Chad Daniels, the museum's director. "If you were going to serve under somebody, you would want it to be Mickey Walker."

Walker himself told The Associated Press in 2005 that preserving history would ensure future generations remember the sacrifices and struggles that shaped the world.

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Visitation at the Christ United Methodist Church, 6000 Old Canton Road, Jackson, Miss. on Dec. 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.	Services at the same location on Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. Interment will follow at Wright and Ferguson's Parkway Cemetery, 1161 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland, Miss.

Walker's wife Elizabeth "Tuta" Walker died in November. The couple had three daughters and one son.

*Note: Michael D. Doubler, Ph. D., Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke and other sources contributed to this report.*