Daniel E. Walker

Daniel E. Walker
Born	September 19, 1927(1927-09-19)
Died	September 16, 2009(2009-09-16) (aged 81) Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, USA
Alma mater	United States Military Academy
Occupation	Civil servant
Religion	Christian
Spouse	Patricia Ann Walker
Children	Russell W. Walker David E. Walker Dana W. Purczinsky

Daniel E. Walker, known as Dan Walker (September 19, 1927–September 16, 2009), was a United States Army veteran from Fort Worth, Texas, who received international attention for properly disposing of a burned American flag.^{[1][dead link]}

Military career

Walker served in World War II. In 1953, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point,^[2] New York. He later served in Korea and was a member of the Army Corps of Engineers.^[1]

Flag burial incident

In 1984, after protesters burned an American flag during the Republican National Convention, Walker retrieved the leftover remains. He buried them in his backyard according to official military guidelines. Walker said, "I didn’t want somebody sweeping it up with a broom and putting it in an ashcan."^{[1][dead link]}

Following the incident, Walker received the Army’s highest civilian award and a letter of commendation from U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan.^[1]

The flag burning incident eventually led to the 1989 United States Supreme Court decision of Texas v. Johnson which upheld flag burning as a freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution by a narrow 5-4 decision.^[3]

Personal life

Walker was married to Patty Walker and they had two sons and a daughter. He was a deacon-emeritus of the McKinney Memorial Bible Church in Fort Worth and sang with the oratorio chorus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Walker died of prostate cancer on September 16, 2009.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Jan Jarvis, "Humble man gained national attention for burying flag that had been set on fire at protest"". Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 16, 2009. http://www.star-telegram.com/local/story/1617322.html. Retrieved September 22, 2009. 
2. ^ "Last Roll Call". United States Military Academy. http://www.aogusma.org/net/lastrollcall.cfm. Retrieved September 22, 2009. 
3. ^ "Background Summary and Questions • • •,Texas v. Johnson (1989), Landmark Supreme Court Cases". http://www.landmarkcases.org/texas/background3.html. Retrieved 2008-02-05. 

Persondata
Name	Walker, Daniel E.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	September 19, 1927
Place of birth
Date of death	September 16, 2009
Place of death	Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, USA