Army awards Silver Star to soldier killed in Iraq

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- A year after he was buried, the Army honored Sgt. Donald Walters with the Silver Star on Monday for the actions in Iraq that cost him his life. Walters, 33, formerly of Kansas City, Mo., received the commendation posthumously during a ceremony at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, where he is buried. Walters was a member of the 507th Maintenance Company from Fort Bliss, Texas, that was ambushed in southern Iraq on March 23, 2003. Lt. Gen. William S. Wallace, who served in Iraq as the commanding general of the Army's V Corps, presented the Silver Star to Walters' widow, Stacie, and his mother, Arlene Walters, who has sought a better accounting of her son's death to reflect his actions.

In the ambush, which occurred just days after the start of the war, 11 soldiers were killed and six captured, including Pfc. Jessica Lynch, who was initially credited with putting up a fierce fight during the battle. Lynch has said she did not fire a shot during the ambush. Lynch was later rescued from an Iraqi hospital.

"The exact events during the ambush in Nasariyah will never be completely known but to God and by those who perished in the struggle," Wallace said.

Walters, of Salem, Ore., had initially been awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Autopsy reports indicate he died of gunshot and two stab wounds to the abdomen.

Wallace said Walters displayed a courage that reflected his gallantry to serve his country and fellow soldiers caught in the ambush.

His mother and U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., have sought an Army investigation to correct earlier reports that credited Lynch with holding off Iraqi troops.

Walters, a veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, is also survived by three daughters.

--------

Fort Leavenworth: http://www.leavenworth.army.mil

Department of Defense: http://www.defenselink.mil