A special guest
With the Vietnam Wall coming to Beverly, veteran Stephen Walker knew he had to be here
Stephen Walker is not from Beverly. He grew up in Louisiana, spent time in Arizona, and now lives in Amarillo, Texas.
But Walker has a deep connection to our city, one that is so strong he makes the trip here every year — and he’ll do so once again this week.
Walker will be on hand Thursday for the opening ceremonies for a traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall organized by Beverly 400+ as part of Beverly Homecoming.
Walker, 75, served in Vietnam for two years. He was wounded twice, including being shot 11 times with an AK-47, resulting in the loss of his left arm. But he would never have made it home were it not for U.S. Army Lt. Stephen Doane of Beverly.
In 1969, Doane saved the lives of Walker and two other soldiers when he destroyed two enemy bunkers, losing his own life in the process. Every year since 2002, Walker has made a point to come to Beverly to support the Beverly Vietnam Veterans 1st Lt. Stephen H. Doane Chapter Post No. 1 .
On Thursday at 5 p.m., Walker will be the keynote speaker for the opening ceremonies for the wall at Beverly High School, where it will be on display. The wall is an 80% scale replica of the Vietnam Wall honoring the more than 58,300 American service members who died in Vietnam.
“It’s the least I can do,” Walker said.
I spoke with Walker by phone from his home in Amarillo last week. I had written a story about him in 2003 when he made his first trip to Beverly to attend the Vietnam Veterans scholarship dinner at the Vittori-Rocci Post. The dinner was discontinued during the pandemic, but Walker still comes up to Beverly to take part in the annual canning fundraiser held by the group to support their scholarship drive. You might have noticed him sitting outside the Shaw’s in North Beverly collecting donations and handing out poppies.
“I come every year,” he said. “This will be my 23rd year.”
Walker told me he grew up in an orphanage in Louisiana. He was drafted in 1967 and sent to Vietnam as a member of the 25th Infantry Division. On March 25, 1969, he was out on patrol in Hau Nghia Province. According to Doane’s Medal of Honor citation, here’s what happened next:
1LT Doane was serving as a platoon leader when his company, engaged in a tactical operation, abruptly contacted an enemy force concealed in protected bunkers and trenches. Three of the leading soldiers were pinned down by enemy crossfire. One was seriously wounded. After efforts of one platoon to rescue these men had failed, it became obvious that only a small group could successfully move close enough to destroy the enemy position and rescue or relieve the trapped soldiers. 1LT Doane, although fully aware of the danger of such an action, crawled to the nearest enemy bunker and silenced it. He was wounded but continued to advance to a second enemy bunker. As he prepared to throw a grenade, he was again wounded. Undaunted, he deliberately pulled the pin on the grenade and lunged with it into the enemy bunker, destroying this final obstacle. 1LT Doane's supreme act enabled his company to rescue the trapped men without further casualties. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by this officer were an inspiration to his men and are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.
“He saved all three of us,” Walker said. “He took out most of the machine gun placements. He basically dove into the second bunker with his grenades and they went off.” Doane was 21 years old.
Walker helped put Doane’s body in a body bag and loaded it onto a helicopter. “We continued on our patrol after that,” he said. “That’s just the way it was.”
Two months later, on another patrol, Walker was severely wounded in an ambush — shot six times in the arm, four times in the back and once in the chest. He spent 18 months in a hospital in San Francisco.
Walker said he suffered for years with post-traumatic stress syndrome. He became an alcoholic, drinking himself to sleep to deal with the pain and the night sweats. He told me he’s been sober for 46 years. He graduated from Arizona State University at the age of 42 and worked for NBC as a logistics person for “Dateline” and NBC sports. When he retired, he became a full-time ordained minister working with veterans. He’s a member of Combat Hero Bike Build, which builds specialized motorcycles for wounded combat veterans. He and his wife have been married for 47 years and have a daughter.
“It was a long, long, long, long journey,” he said of his recovery. “It wasn’t easy. I’m just fortunate after all I went through physically and with the PTSD that I’ve been healthy. It turns out I don’t have to deal with the PTSD anymore.”
Walker has kept in touch with Doane’s family over the years. Doane was born at Beverly Hospital, where his father was a doctor, but spent only a short time here. Doane grew up in Walton, New York, where a bridge was renamed in his honor in 2022.
Walker has visited Doane’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery. Every year, on March 25, the anniversary of his death, he sends a text to Doane’s niece. But it’s his connection to Beverly that remains his most enduring tribute to the man who saved his life.
“All those guys up there have been like a family to me,” he said. “Even people I meet in the community, they know who you are and they’re glad to know you’re there. They ask how my family is doing. It’s nice to have that connection.”
The wall will be on display at Beverly High School from Thursday at 5 p.m. to Sunday at 10 a.m., when closing ceremonies will be held.
Great stuff Paul. Thanks for telling this story. Incredible actions and examples of how to handle unimaginable challenges by two very special men.
Poignant, and at the same time tremendously endearing.