22 Facts About Walter Walsh

Walter Rudolph Walsh was an FBI agent, USMC shooting instructor and Olympic shooter.

Walter Walsh served in the Pacific theatre during World War II with the Marine Corps and, after a brief return to the FBI, served as a shooting instructor with the Marine Corps until his retirement in the 1970s.

Walter Walsh received awards for his marksmanship until the age of 90 and served as the coach of the Olympic shooting team until 2000.

Walter Walsh's father was a firefighter and for a period operated a saloon.

Walter Walsh subsequently joined the New Jersey Army National Guard in 1928.

Walter Walsh was on the team that tracked criminal Arthur Barker, son of gangster Ma Barker, to Chicago in 1935.

Walter Walsh was later involved in the tracking down of Public Enemy Number One Al Brady in 1937.

Walter Walsh was approaching the front of the store with a gun in each hand.

Mortally wounded Shaffer collapsed to the sidewalk, while Walter Walsh had been shot in his right hand and into his lung chest.

Walter Walsh remained in the FBI until 1942, when he took a leave to serve with the United States Marine Corps during World War II.

In one incident, he and his comrades were pinned down by a sniper on Okinawa, whom Walter Walsh was able to kill from 90 yards away with a single shot to the torso from a M1911 pistol.

Walter Walsh went on to serve as the Officer-in-Charge of the Security Subsection, G-2, Headquarters Marine Corps, as the Assistant G-3 with the 2nd Marine Division and to later command the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines.

In 1962 Walter Walsh was assigned with the rank of colonel as the Commanding Officer of the Weapons Training Battalion at Quantico, where he remained until his retirement in 1970.

Walter Walsh honed his marksmanship shooting rats in the New Jersey Meadowlands and clothespins off of his aunt's laundry line.

Walter Walsh won the Governor's Champion Marksman Match, the miss-and-out Swiss Match, and the 15-shot, 1100-yard Libby Trophy Match, which established him as one of the best rifle and pistol shooters of the period.

In 1933 Walter Walsh was selected as a firing member of the Dewar Team, and broke the Dewar smallbore rifle record.

Walter Walsh placed 12th in the Men's Free Pistol, 50 metres competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.

Walter Walsh served for many years as a director of the National Rifle Association and served on several of its committees.

Walter Walsh credited his longevity to luck, listening to his parents and blessings from God.

At the 100th anniversary celebration of the FBI, it was noted that Walter Walsh was older than the agency itself.

Walter Walsh died at his home in Arlington, Virginia, on April 29,2014, at the age of 106.

Walter Walsh was interred beside his wife on July 15,2014 in section 8, grave 7198 at Arlington National Cemetery.