Posted by Carol and Family on May 13, 2003:

Walter Frank Marciniec died of a heart attack in Huntington Beach , CA, while visiting his son, Steve. Walt was the third child of John and Stephanie Marciniec and was raised in a devout Catholic family, serving as an altar boy for several years. He attended local schools and graduated from Lewis High School in 1943 as salutatorian. During his high school years he played baseball, served as the class treasurer, was president of the student council, and always an outstanding student in math and science. Upon his graduation he attended Norwich Academy in Vermont for one year , at which time he received his appointment to West Point. Walt took Plebe summer training in stride and with good humor. Academic success came easy for Walt. He graduated in the top sixth of his class and still had time to hone his skills at the billiard table. After graduation he began a 22 year career in the Corps of Engineers, beginning at Fort Belvoir to attend the Basic Engineer Officers Course. During October 1949 ? June 1952, he served with the Engineer Aviation Battalion at Rhein ? Main Air Base near Frankfurt, Germany during the Berlin Airlift. Walt supervised contract construction of many of the permanent facilities at Rhein ? Main and various other bases. In February 1950, Walt met Carol, who worked as an interpreter at the base. When he came to her office with a problem he needed solved, she solved it. It was love at first sight, but they had to wait to get married until 1951. After returning to the States in 1952, Walt attended graduate school at the University of Illinois, receiving a master of science degree in civil engineering. During 1954 ? 55, he was an instructor at the engineering school at Ft. Belvoir with primary duties in protective construction. After that, he was a student in the engineering officers Advanced Course. On 11 August 1955, he drove Carol to the Ft. Belvoir hospital during a violent storm for the birth of their third child, a little girl named Barbara. The morning after bringing mother and child home, he received a call to immediately report to Connecticut to serve a two month assignment to rehabilitate facilities in New England damaged by Hurricane Carol. Fortunately, Walt?s family lived near the damaged area in Connecticut, so they picked up Carol and their three children ? the baby was two weeks old ? to live with them. They were all happy to return to their home in Virginia. Six months later, Walt received orders to Viet Nam, where he was the advisor for engineering activities in the 3rd Military Region for one year. His next assignment, during 1957 ? 58, was as the area engineer in the Pittsburgh Defense Area. During 1958 ? 59, he was the assistant executive officer for military construction , U.S. Army District, in Pittsburgh, responsible for coordinating 80 military construction sites, In July 1959, Walt was transferred to Karlsruhe, Germany, to serve as a company commander in the 78th Engineering Combat Battalion. In 1960, he went to Stuttgart, Germany, Headquarters Army Material Command, as the project officer for bridging equipment and managing items pertaining to the field. For the next eight months, he served as the deputy district commander, for which he received the Legion of Merit. During 1962 ? 65, Walt was stationed at Headquarters, Army Material Command in Washington, DC, during which time he also attended 18 weeks at CGSC. His whole family was happy to live in beautiful Virginia again. During 1965 ? 67, he served as the Vogelsberg District Engineer and the deputy commander in Hanau, Germany, for eight months. Then, as the commander of the 547th Engineering Combat Battalion, during May 1967 ? July 1968, he enabled his command to achieve a high state of training, morale, and combat readiness through his vigorous pursuit of excellence. Walt reduced the battalion deadline rate by 50 percent, bridged the Rhein River three times, produced outstanding results on each field problem, and received the Army Commendation Medal. Upon his return to the States in 1968, he and his wife went house hunting in Virginia and found one in just one week because he had to leave for Thule, Greenland, in August 1968. In April 1969, he was stationed in Washington, DC, again, where he was assigned to the Department of the Army, Office of the Chief of Engineers, and served as the deputy assistant director of military construction for PEMA. During that time, he was promoted to colonel and received the Army Commendation Medal. After serving 22 years in the Army, Walt decided to retire. He then worked for a national engineering and architect company that involved five more moves ! But his last project, in 1982, was in his hometown, where he built bridges and an overpass. That project was completed in 1984, and rather than move again, he decided to retire from that to travel and spend more time with his family and friends. Besides being a loving husband for 49 years and a wonderful father to his two daughters and four sons , he was a loving grandfather to his eleven grandchildren and two great ? grandchildren. He lived by his alma mater?s motto, ? Duty, Honor, Country ? and instilled in his children a strong sense of patriotism, ethics, and moral values. He is missed by all.

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