Rowan D. Walter, 25

Army, Private 1st Class

Based: Ft. Carson, Colo.

1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: February 22, 2007

Ramadi, Iraq

Married

Gender: Male

Hometown: Clovis

High School: Buchanan High (Clovis)

Burial: Clovis Cemetery, Clovis, Calif.

Rowan had a gift for languages. He quickly learned French during a church mission to Europe and later picked up Chinese. At the time of his death he was studying Arabic.

Richard A. Soukenka, 02/27/2007

Louis G. Kim, 02/20/2007

Nine memories of Rowan D. Walter

“

Rowan and I were in Iraq together. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. Its b/c of him that i'm still alive. I was 3rd Plt. Medic in DCo, and on the day he was stolen from us, I had to stop by eagles nest where he was with his patoon to refill my aid bag after a long day of working on wounded soldiers. He was my best friend over there, we use to sit in the dirt, just him and I drilling each other on what to do in certain situations and figuring out how to arrange our aid bags, and he was such a special person it didn't matter where you were as long as you were in his prescence he'd always bring out the best of you. Anyways, on that faithful day I had to stop by to get supplies and he knew me good enough he could just tell that I had just about gave all I could that day. So when the Col's convoy got hit by an IED on route Trans Am I immediately pounded his fist, told him thanks and ran for my 113 (casevac vehicle), but before i could jump in he pushed me to the side and jumped in instead and looked back at me yelling at him with that goofey smile on his face lol. Well, that was the last I saw him alive, my casevac hit an I.E.D mins later. I just don't understand how a split sec decision could make such a difference. I don't know why it happened that way, Rowan was such a better person than me, and I carry that guilt with me always, but that guilt is one of the most valuable things i have, b/c if I didn't have it, would mean i wouldn't have gotten the chance to know him. So I just try to live everyday to the absolute fullest b/c they are all gifts that he gave me.

” — Cory Mitchum, April 19, 2015 at 5:51 p.m.

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Sources: Times research, Defense Department, iCasualties.org

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Rowan D. Walter, 25

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Nine memories of Rowan D. Walter

Share a memory of Rowan