Walton Walker < noinclude > Walton Harris Walker ( December 3 , 1889 – December 23 , 1950 ) was an American army officer and the first commander of the U . S . Eighth Army during the Korean War . Biography . Walker was born in Belton , Texas on December 3 , 1889 and graduated from West Point in 1912 . As a lieutenant , he served in the Vera Cruz expedition under Brigadier General Frederick Funston . Patrolling on the U . S . - Mexican border in 1916 , he developed a close friendship with Dwight Eisenhower . During World War I , Walker fought in France with the 5th Infantry Division and was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action . After World War I , Walker rotated through a variety of assignments , including service in China , Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , and teaching duties in several posts , including West Point . In the 1930s he served as executive officer of an infantry brigade commanded by George Marshall , the future Army Chief of Staff . World War II . When hostilities broke out in Europe in 1939 , Walker was executive of the War Plans division of the general staff , but when Marshall ( now Chief of Staff ) assigned George Patton to organize America ' s armored forces , Walker successfully lobbied Marshall for a post as one of Patton ' s subordinate commanders , gaining promotion to brigadier general in the process . Promoted major general in 1942 , he commanded Third Armored Division and eventually XX Corps , taking the latter to England in early 1944 and leading it into combat in Normandy in July as part of Patton ' s Third Army . Walker ' s XX Corps played a role in Patton ' s dash across France in August and early September 1944 , earning the sobriquet " Ghost Corps " for the speed of its advance . Walker ' s troops saw heavy fighting in France and Germany during the remainder of the war , especially at Metz , the Battle of the Bulge , and in the invasion of Germany . In the spring of 1945 XX Corps liberated Buchenwald concentration camp then pushed south and east , eventually reaching Linz , Austria by May . Walker received his third star at this time , making him a Lieutenant - General . Post - World War II . After the war Walker became commander of Fifth Army , headquartered in Chicago , but in 1948 , was assigned as commanding general of the Eighth Army , the American occupation force in Japan . Walker was ordered by General Douglas MacArthur , the Supreme Allied Commander in Japan , to restore the depleted Army to combat - worthy condition . Korean War . Shortly after the North Korean invasion of South Korea , in June 1950 , the Eighth Army was ordered to intervene and drive the invaders back across the 38th parallel , the border between the two countries . With only four lightly equipped and poorly trained divisions , Walker began landing troops on the southeast side of the Korean peninsula in July . After his lead units , elements of the 24th Infantry Division ( including the ill - fated Task Force Smith ) , were virtually destroyed in a few days of furious fighting between Osan and Taejon , Walker realized his assigned mission was impossible and went on the defensive . Pushed steadily back towards the southeast by the North Korean advance , Walker ' s forces suffered heavy losses and for a time were unable to form a defensible front , even after bringing the 1st Cavalry and 25th Infantry Divisions into the fight . Walker ' s situation was not helped by unrealistic demands from MacArthur in Tokyo not to retreat an inch . Attempting to obey , Walker gave a bombastic " not a step back " speech to his staff and subordinate commanders which did not go over well . Nor did it stop the North Koreans from pushing back the Americans and the Republic of Korea Army ( ROK ) , which had been badly mauled in the opening days of the invasion , even further . As American and ROK forces retreated further east and south , they finally arrived at a defensible line on the Nakdong River . They took advantage of shortened supply routes and a relatively good road network to exploit the advantages of " interior lines " . Walker was able to quickly shift his units from point to point , stopping North Korean attacks before they could be reinforced . The Americans were greatly aided by decoded radio intercepts of enemy communications , giving them advance knowledge of where North Korean attacks would occur . Walker was also able to employ artillery and airpower to great effect . American forces gradually solidified this defensive position on the southeast side of the Korean peninsula , dubbed the " Pusan Perimeter " . Walker received reinforcements , including the Provisional Marine Brigade , which he used along with the Army ' s 27th Infantry Regiment as " fire brigades , " reliable troops who specialized in counterattacking and wiping out enemy penetrations . As more reinforcements arrived , the combat advantage shifted toward the American and South Korean forces . North Korean forces had suffered terribly and their supply lines were under constant aerial bombardment . Almost all of their T - 34 tanks , which spearheaded the invasion , had been destroyed . Walker ordered local counterattacks while planning for a large scale breakout in conjunction with MacArthur ' s Inchon landing in September . With MacArthur ' s amphibious flanking move , the North Koreans seemed trapped but Walker ' s rapid advance northwest towards Inchon and Seoul emphasized speed over maneuver and made no attempt to encircle and destroy the North Koreans after punching through their lines . Although thousands of prisoners were taken , many North Korean units successfully disengaged from the fighting , melting away into the interior of South Korea where they would conduct a guerrilla war for two years . Others escaped all the way back to North Korea . With the war apparently won , Walker ' s Eighth Army quickly moved north and , with the independent X Corps on its right , crossed the 38th parallel to occupy North Korea . Fighting tapered off to sporadic , sharp clashes with remnants of North Korean forces . By late October 1950 the Eighth Army was nearing the Yalu River , North Korea ' s border with China . Walker , informed by MacArthur ' s headquarters that the Chinese would not intervene , did not insure that his troops maintained watchful security . Due to a lack of coordination between Walker , General Edward Almond , Commander of the X Corps , and MacArthur ' s headquarters in Tokyo , a gap had opened between Eighth Army and X Corps as they moved close to the Chinese border . Eventually , the weather had turned savagely cold , and most American units had no training and inadequate equipment for the bitter temperatures . Contrary to MacArthur ' s expectations , the Chinese intervened in force ; first in a series of ambushes , then in sporadic night attacks , and finally in an all - out offensive in which large Chinese forces infiltrated the lines , taking advantage of the American failure to take basic security measures , and the large intervals between American and South Korean units and between the Eighth Army and the X Corps . From late October until the beginning of December in 1950 , the Chinese killed or captured thousands of American and ROK soldiers , decimating the 2nd Infantry Division and forcing Walker into a desperate retreat . By early December , using his superior mobility Walker successfully broke contact with the Chinese , withdrawing south to a position around Pyongyang , the capital of North Korea . Without instructions from MacArthur ' s headquarters , Walker decided that Eighth Army was too battered to defend Pyongyang and ordered the retreat resumed to below the 38th parallel . Death . On December 23 , 1950 , Walker was killed in a traffic accident near Uijeongbu when his command jeep collided with a civilian truck at high speed as he inspected positions north of Seoul . His body was escorted back to the United States by his son , future general Sam S . Walker . Walker was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on January 2 , 1951 . Legacy and honors . Promoted posthumously to 4 - star General , Walker ' s memory was much honored in the years immediately following the Korean War . The Army chose his name ( and his other nickname ) , for its next light tank , the M41 Walker Bulldog . Dallas , Texas , named the western segment of Texas State Highway Loop 12 after him ( the portion going through neighboring Irving , Texas continues the naming convention ) . One of the largest Armed Forces Recreation Center ' s hotels , the General Walker Hotel in Berchtesgaden ( now demolished ) , was also named in his honor . Camp Walker in Daegu , ROK is named in his honor . In 1963 , South Korea President Park Chung - hee honored the general by naming a hill in the southern part of Seoul after Walker . Today , Walker Hill is the site of the Sheraton Walker Hill , a five - star international resort and hotel . In December 2009 , the mayor of Dobong - gu district , Choi Sun - Kil , unveiled the Walton Harris Walker monument to mark the site of his death . The memorial , which is near Dobong subway Station , pays tribute to Walker and to all those who defended South Korea in the Korean War . Walker Intermediate School , located on the Ft . Knox Army Garrison , opened in 1962 and is named in his honor . His picture hangs in the school lobby . A biography of Walker was published in 2008 called " General Walton H . Walker : Forgotten Hero - The Man Who Saved Korea " , by Charles M . Province .