Our Appreciation
By Jacob Ashley, U.S. Army
Will Walton – 2nd Year
Military Service
U.S. Army: 2013 – 2018
11B1P Airborne Infantry
Degree
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
William Alexander Walton joined the Army at 26 and immediately tried out for special forces. As the vast majority do, he fell short of that ambition. He was, however, selected to serve with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy. Will says, “I remember they cut me from the program on Black Friday. But from then on, I’d be airborne infantry. I started as a machine gunner and then a grenadier. Afterward, I tried out for a scout platoon, where I got my sniper team.”
During his time as a sniper, Will had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe, training with different NATO countries. He says, “During these training ops, we got to interact with all the soldiers from these allied nations, sharing stories about our lives, about our time in service, our military branches. Sometimes, we’d trade mementos or meaningful items. It was just an incredible and fun way to serve my country. I learned a lot about myself.”
When he left the Army, he knew he wanted a career that gave him greater balance with his personal life. With that, he was sure his passions felt most fulfilled by helping people. The benefits he earned through his service afforded him choices and opportunities. The Veteran’s Administration (V.A.) would pay his way through school through the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill. Later, he would become a nurse at that very administration, helping others who have served, growing even more fervent in that mission. Will explains, “Being a nurse at the V.A. made perfect sense. I could leave Italy at the end of my contract, have my education paid for, and continue my service just through another means.”
Will has had a host of previous tertiary education experiences by now. “Since I already had a political science degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder,” Will continues, “I was then able to get an associate in health sciences, which led to an accelerated nursing degree through the V.A. Vocation Rehab Program, then complete nursing school at Linfield College in Portland.”
At this point, Will had moved many times throughout his life. He was born in Colorado, moved to Michigan and Wisconsin, back to Colorado, off to the Army, Salt Lake City, Utah, and finally Portland. He explains, “I was completing nursing school at Linfield, and I knew I wanted to work at the V.A. on the hill, next to OHSU. It just looks so cool and so close to downtown and the PSU campus. There was so much I could do for myself, and it was kind of my dream job at the time. Everything just lined up for me.”
In his second year at PSU, he now looks toward his future, saying, “The MBA program is going to allow me a path to leadership in the V.A. I’ll be able to move into a role where I can really affect change, impact operations, and help things simply run smoother. I want to help it be considered a truly top-notch healthcare facility. Make the standard of healthcare better for everyone. That’s my goal. Or, you know, run an entire government agency.” For so many veterans, service doesn’t simply stop when they take off the uniform. It just takes another form.
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