Walter Schroder

Walter K. Schroder was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1928, the son of German immigrants. He returned to Germany in 1937 and was drafted in 1944, at age fifteen, to serve with an antiaircraft battery. Captured by the British in 1945, he served as a P.O.W. interpreter. Following his release, he enlisted in the U.S. Army of Occupation in West Germany. After returning to Rhode Island, he entered a 32-year civilian career with the Department of Defense and was awarded the Navy's Superior Civilian Service Medal. Later he served four years as training officer of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.

Walter Schroder is an independent researcher, author, and lecturer with special interests in Rhode Island's military history and the preservation of former military sites. He has been active in restoration efforts at the Revolutionary Conanicut Battery and Fort Wetherill in Jamestown, Rhode Island and at Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island. He has published five books, including "Defenses of Narragansett Bay in WW II"; "Davisville and the Seabees"; and "Dutch Island and Fort Greble". His autobiography, "Stars and Swastikas: The Boy Who Wore Two Uniforms", has been the subject of a variety of Rhode Island school projects. His latest work, "The Hessian Occupation of Newport and Rhode Island 1776-1779", was published in October 2005 and is notable for its use of German language memoirs and source materials to explore the importance of Hessian troops in the American Revolution.

Mr. Schroder has lectured extensively, appearing before diversified audiences. His experiences have been featured on NBC10 Timelines and on public television. He has used his German language skills to assist the families of Air Force personnel lost over Germany in World War II in their quest for closure. Walter is associated with the Council on America's Military Past, the Coast Defense Study Group, the Fort Adams Advisory Committee, Friends of Conanicut Battery, the Artillery Company of Newport, and the Jamestown Historical Society.

In 2007, Walter Schroder was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame for his original historical research and writing on the state's military history. [http://www.riheritagehalloffame.org/inducteeDet.asp?id=584]