Soldier returns home from war

Published 7:03 pm Thursday, April 19, 2018

1 of 4

Members of the Patriot Guard Riders lead the procession traveling to Monroe, Louisiana, returning the remains of Sergeant Lester R. Walker, as it passes through Vicksburg Thursday.

Walker, from Ferriday, was listed as missing in action Sept. 3, 1950, near Changnyeong, South Korea during the Korean War.

Walker, a member of Battery B, 82nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was given the Prisoner of War Medal, posthumous, Purple Heart, posthumous, Army Good Conduct Medal, posthumous, National Defense Service Medal, posthumous, Korean Service Medal with one bronze star, United Nations Service Medal, Republic of Korea-Korean War Service Medal, and the Republic of Korea-Presidential Unit Citation.

Walker will be buried Saturday at Ruggs Bluff Cemetery in Downsville, Louisiana.

About Courtland Wells

Courtland Wells is a staff photographer at The Vicksburg Post. He is a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala. and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in Photojournalism. Following graduation, he started at The Vicksburg Post in the fall of 2016. Courtland has won numerous awards through the Mississippi Associated Press Managing Editors and the Mississippi Press Association. His work has also been featured in the New York Times and Washington Post as well as other national publications. Courtland is a member of the Vicksburg Young Professionals.

More by Courtland