Walter Altfather

It was February 1945 and the Allies just reached the Rhine River, we invaded Iwo Jima and the Yalta Conference was held. Walter R. Altfather of Fawn Township was a senior high school student in Berlin-Brothers Valley High School in Somerset County when his draft notice arrived. Still at war with Germany and Japan, men were being drafted to keep our forces at full strength.

Walter began preparing to leave in a few days for Pittsburgh to be sworn in at the Marine Corps. From Pittsburgh he was sent to boot camp at Parris Island, S.C. for 13 weeks. Receiving a Marksman Medal, he was then sent to Camp Lejeune in the New River Area of North Carolina for training in the fleet Marine Corps. Training here concentrated on ships and landing craft to get Marines on shore of enemy territory. The next phase of training brought Walter to Quantico Marine Base in Virginia for advanced training. Completing this training, he was shipped to Camp Pendleton, California to embark for Okinawa when news arrived that the war was ending.

Although much attention focuses on veterans in combat, it takes as many soldiers to support troops in battle and carry out other numerous duties throughout the world. These men and women deserve as much attention and gratitude for their selfless service and support of those in combat. Such was the case for Walter who now was shipped to Camp Perry in Williamsburg, Virginia where he was assigned as a Naval prison guard and drill instructor. The Naval prison housed several hundred American soldiers that were sentenced for disorderly conduct and other fractions of military discipline. There was also a prison camp for Germans at the same base, but Walter was not assigned to it. After some months he was transferred to Quantico Marine Base and put in a newly formed unit called the 1st Special Marine Brigade. His final assignment was to Oslo Beach, North Carolina where he was discharged from military duty after serving 18 months. Even though he received extensive military training and never saw war duty, Walter credits the Marine Corps with changing him. “I recommend it to anybody for training and discipline,” he said. He firmly believes it prepared him for life. Married 57 years with three children and turning 74 this June, Walter still works today at his company, Precision Grinding and Specialties, Inc. in Sarver. After the war he worked on a farm milking 75 cows, then went into the coalmines for a few years before working for Oberg Industries, Inc. in 1953.