WWII Veteran Honored 57 Years After His Death

By Allyson Dix, Managing Editor/Barren County Progress

A military honors ceremony was held for Walter Emmitt Pickett on August 3, nearly 57 years after his death on October 11, 1967.

Few details are known about Pickett at this time, who was born in Glasgow on April 23, 1922. He was an Army veteran of World War II with service in the Pacific Theater and a member of the Church of Christ in Glasgow, according to an obituary appearing to have been printed in The Courier-Journal.

At some point after serving in the military, Pickett moved to Lafayette, Indiana, and lived with a brother, Charles E. Pickett. He became ill for seven weeks and was found deceased in an apartment not far from his home address, according to the obituary. It also states, “He had been dead several hours, apparently of natural causes. The coroner’s office is investigating.”

VFW Post Commander Joseph Greer spearheaded a joint effort to arrange Saturday’s military honors ceremony after receiving a call from a chaplain, Dave McKinney, with the Department of Indiana’s VFW who was attempting to locate Pickett’s burial plot.

Pickett’s grave marker was found in a home, and the assumption is that perhaps a family member had made plans to bring it to Pickett’s final resting place in the Pickett Family Cemetery in Glasgow, but for unknown reasons, that never happened.

Greer said the project was a joint effort between the local DAV, American Legions, and VFW, as well as local citizens, funeral homes, and the Southcentral Kentucky Cultural Center.

While attempting to locate Pickett’s burial plot, Greer learned that in the 1980s, the cemetery had been vandalized and it was unclear exactly which plot he was buried in; however, Greer believes based on the locations of some of the other plots, the place that the bronze military grave marker was laid is very close to Pickett’s final resting place.

“I really wanted to do something to memorialize Mr. Pickett,” Greer said before the ceremony began. “Everybody should know where someone’s final resting place is.”

The Honor Guard with DAV Chapter 20 performed the military honors at Pickett’s graveside, including the three-volley salute, the flag-folding ceremony, and DAV member Harold Stilts played Taps. Charles Logsdon described the shell casings from the three-volley salute, and as DAV members folded the American flag, Jerry Smith announced the meaning of each of the thirteen folds.

The folded flag with embedded shell casings was presented to Stella Hicks, a great-niece of Pickett–she is one of two closest relatives still living. Hicks, whose family is also buried in the same cemetery, was present with her granddaughter, Grace Spears.

Hicks said she never met Pickett but recalls family members who spoke on his military service, but those details have slipped away with time. Charles E. Pickett, also called C.E. or Charlie, was her grandfather, whom Pickett resided with in Indiana.

“I think this is a wonderful, wonderful day to be able to honor him now and place his marker here for his service in the military,” Hicks said, adding that she believes her grandfather help care for Pickett during his illness before he passed away.

Pickett’s other closest known relative is Mike Pickett, who also resides in Indiana. Due to health reasons, he was unable to attend on Saturday, but Hicks said, “He would have loved to have been here.”