Governor appoints HFC alumnus to MVFA to serve veterans
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently appointed HFC alumnus and Vietnam veteran Barry F. Walter to the Michigan Veterans Facility Authority, a nine-member board that governs Michigan Veteran Homes.
“My experience as a veteran and working for the Veterans of Foreign Wars gives me the credibility to bring to this board,” said Walter, of Dewitt, the Clinton County assistant state services officer for the VFW Department of Michigan.
He began his 4-year term on Dec. 8, 2022.
8 years of military service
The eldest of five children, Walter was born and raised in Owosso. After graduating from Owosso High School, Walter began his education at Central Michigan University, but left when he was drafted by the U.S. Army.
Walter served in the Army from 1966 to 1974. He spent half of his military career fighting in the Vietnam War. His primary military specialty was artillery operations. He earned an honorable discharge, and his final rank was staff sergeant.
He earned his associate degree in liberal arts from HFC (then called Henry Ford Community College) in addition to completing coursework at Lansing Community College. For 35 years, he has been married to Pamela. He has one son, one stepson, three granddaughters, and one great-grandson.
Attending HFC on the G.I. Bill
Upon returning home from Vietnam, Walter worked at two Ford dealerships. He grew restless and wanted to make a change. After placing a call to the Michigan VFW State Service Office, he found himself working in its Detroit office as an Assistant State Service Officer on Feb. 1, 1981. His supervisor encouraged him to take classes at HFC through his G.I. Bill benefits.
“HFC was convenient and the price was right,” recalled Walter. “I made an appointment with a counselor and was very impressed with what I saw. That’s how I wound up there.”
Walter attended HFC from 1981 to 1983, but never applied to graduate. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s when he was taking additional coursework at LCC that a counselor pointed out that he had enough credits to qualify for an associate degree. He was awarded his associate degree from HFC in 1998.
“The counselors at HFC made sure the classes I took would be beneficial in my career,” he said.
“A wonderful institution”
For more than 40 years, Walter has been involved in veterans affairs. Following his temporary retirement from the VFW State Service Office in 1995, he managed the VFW state headquarters office in Lansing for three years. From 2001-07, he served as the public relations and development director for the VFW National Home for Children in Eaton Rapids. In 2009, he had the opportunity to take a position as the VFW state services director in Illinois. He had to take a medical retirement in 2015.
Fortunately, his medical condition improved when he returned to Michigan. Since 2016, he was worked part-time for the VFW.
“I get to talk to veterans. I get to help them,” said Walter. “We specialize in assisting veterans and their families in pursuing disability benefits, educational benefits, and medical benefits, which they earned through their military service.”
Looking back on his higher education experience, Walter has a special place in his heart for HFC.
“Of all the educational opportunities I’ve had, HFC was the best. The counselors were so nice and helpful when assisting me in making decisions that were good for my career. They evaluated my career goals, they helped me pick classes that would be beneficial to me; they didn’t just want me to a get a piece of paper. Two classes I took there – world religions and sociology – were extremely useful for me throughout my working life when dealing with veterans. I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunities I had at the College. HFC is such a wonderful institution. It is my honor to be an alumnus of HFC.”