From entering West Point during the opening days of the Korean War to commanding Army dispensaries near the Korean DMZ, rising to Major in the U.S. Army Reserve, and serving 50 consecutive years as Consultant to the Surgeon General at Walter Reed.
16th Street, Manhattan, New York
West Point, New York
Fort Sam Houston, TX • Camp St. Barbara (DMZ), South Korea • Fort Totten & Fort Tilden, NY
North Carolina • White Plains, NY • Walter Reed, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. & Global Diplomatic Consultations
1960 I Corps Artillery Volleyball Champions
Capt. Walsh holding the championship trophy alongside his U.S. Army medical detachment near the Korean DMZ.
Army–Navy Game with Sally
Tom and Sally celebrating the annual Army–Navy clash, an autumn ritual across five decades together.
The Plain at West Point
Returning to watch the Corps of Cadets pass in review.
Black & Gold Spirit
Sporting full Black Knights face paint in the stadium stands.
Preserved in Chapter 9 of A Journey Worth the Trip, these original 1960 documents record Capt. Walsh’s humanitarian care in Pochon, his reassignment to Fort Totten, New York, and Sally’s travel orders departing Tokyo. Click any document to inspect the full-resolution scan.
Bilingual Korean & English commendation honoring Capt. Thomas J. Walsh for treating poor and sick residents of Pochon-gun free of charge from August 13, 1959 through August 27, 1960.
Official U.S. Army reassignment orders from APO 2 (Korea) to U.S. Army Dispensary, Fort Totten, New York, authorizing 56 days delay-en-route circuitous travel across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
HQ I Corps Artillery orders authorizing Sally Walsh to depart Tokyo on August 28, 1960 accompanying Capt. Thomas J. Walsh on their six-week journey home around the world.
First-person passages on Vince Lombardi, Camp St. Barbara, and West Point’s enduring traditions.
“I showed up and, of course, Blaik was not going to talk to us lowly Plebes. My coach was Vince Lombardi, who was one of Blaik's assistants. Years later, my daughter Sara asked me what Vince said when he first saw me. The family joke was, I think Coach Lombardi was speechless. I told Sara he was saving me for that great spot.”
Autumn 1950 Plebe football at the U.S. Military Academy. — Thomas J. Walsh, M.D., A Journey Worth the Trip
Read in Chapter 5: West Point“After a few days, I was called in and given my assignment to Camp St. Barbara. I asked the man where that was and he said he had never heard of it... I was at Corps Artillery headquarters, but it was up on the DMZ. The reason for that was that it was the only place in Korea you could shoot off the artillery without killing anybody.”
Arriving in South Korea in August 1959 as Captain, U.S. Army Medical Corps. — Thomas J. Walsh, M.D., A Journey Worth the Trip
Read in Chapter 9: Army and Korea“At the end of all Academy social events, the band played ARMY BLUE. Later on, it was used by Elvis Presley who called it 'Love Me Tender.' We both stole it from an old Scottish melody.”
Closing lines of his memoir narrative. — Thomas J. Walsh, M.D., A Journey Worth the Trip
Read in Chapter 27: Family Stories