Patriot Guard Riders-West Virginia have been invited by the Arizona Patriot Guard State Captain to assist in the escort through the State of West Virginia, by Pony Express, Brigadier General Don Harvel, U.S. Air Force, Sergeant Carl Walker, Silver Star recipient, U.S. Air Force.
Don Harvel served in the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard. After graduating from West Point, he received a commission in the Air Force and was assigned to pilot training at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. His first flying assignment was flying C-130 aircraft at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. In 1982, he was reassigned as an instructor pilot flying C-130s with the Air Crew Training and Test Wing (Air Force Special Operations) at Kirkland Air Force Base, N.M. His military assignments included Commander of the 181st Airlift Squadron, Commander of the 136th Operations Group, and Commander of the 136th Airlift Wing. Don was promoted to Brigadier General in 2008 and was assigned to be the Deputy Commander of the Texas Air National Guard. During this time, he also served as the Assistant to the Commander of Air Force Special Operations. He retired from the Air Force/Air National Guard with the permanent rank of Brigadier General, in 2010. Don completed 34 years of military service that included deployments for Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. He had more than 4,500 hours of C-130 flying experience.
Carl Walker served in the United States Air Force, serving as a Loadmaster in a C-130 during the Vietnam War. Attaining the rank of Sergeant, Carl Walker was awarded the Silver Star for his Gallantry In Action during an extremely hazardous airdrop mission to an encircled Special Forces Camp.
During the final approach the aircraft was damaged by enemy fire, and it’s load of high explosives ammunition was ignited. Sergeant Walker fought the flaming fire amidst thickening smoke and spraying hydraulic fluid until the load could be delivered on the drop zone. After dropping the critically needed ammunition exactly on the impact point, he displayed superb airmanship in assisting in the return of the badly crippled aircraft.
