More detail on this person: Kirk Walsh decorated naval aviator who overcame challenges Kirk Walsh decorated naval aviator who overcame challenges San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA) - Monday, May 15, 2006 Each time Kirk Walsh suffered a life-threatening setback, he seemed to rebound with renewed resolve. It started with scarlet fever at age 5, followed 12 years later by a broken neck from a diving accident. There were three crash landings as a naval aviator in Vietnam, one in which a helicopter blade punctured a windshield and slashed his throat. There was a heart attack on a helicopter training flight, forcing him to make an emergency landing. And there was alcoholism, an addiction he overcame in a 12-step program late in a Navy career in which he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander. Cmdr. Walsh was pursuing a civilian career in substance-abuse counseling when he had a stroke in 1995 that impaired his speech and severely limited his reading and writing skills. Again, he showed his resilience. He volunteered as a counselor of stroke victims and cardiac patients, and he served as an ombudsman for residents of long-term care facilities. Cmdr. Walsh, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in December, a decade after he quit smoking, died of a heart attack May 10 at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. He was 69. During the Vietnam War, Cmdr. Walsh's decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star with a combat V, 33 Air Medals for combat missions, a Navy Commendation Medal and two Presidential Unit citations. He declined to accept a Purple Heart after being injured during a mission while serving as commander of a Marine flight squadron. "He said he couldn't in good conscience accept the award because there were so many others who lost so much more," said a daughter, Judy Walsh-Jackson. Despite his injury, Cmdr. Walsh helped his crew evade capture for nearly 24 hours before being rescued. A mission in November 1969, as aircraft commander and fire team leader of an armed helicopter detachment, earned Cmdr. Walsh the Distinguished Flying Cross. With his base at Vinh Gia under heavy attack, Cmdr. Walsh led a dash from a bunker to his aircraft. "Subsequent devastating rocket and machine gun runs destroyed three enemy firing positions and probably a fourth," his citation read. "His immediate and decisive reaction to the enemy attack was instrumental in preventing severe damage to the support base and in lessening personnel casualties." The stresses of combat took an emotional toll on Cmdr. Walsh. "He had great difficulties adjusting after Vietnam," Walsh-Jackson said. "He was haunted by memories of those he killed and those he had lost. That led to more drinking." In 1979, Cmdr. Walsh suffered a devastating personal loss when his 9-year-old son, Joseph, died in a fire in the family's travel trailer, which was parked in the driveway of his Chula Vista home. Cmdr. Walsh, inside his house at the time recovering from a hangover, tried unsuccessfully to rescue the boy. "Within a week of that incident, my father went for substance-abuse treatment," Walsh-Jackson said. After retiring from active duty in 1981, he considered a civilian career in law. Instead, he earned a master's degree in psychological counseling at U.S. International University. During his studies, he interned at an alcohol rehabilitation center at what was then Miramar Naval Air Station. "He loved working with the young servicemen and women," Walsh-Jackson said. "He found his second calling in counseling." Cmdr. Walsh began his second professional career at Tradition One, a residential treatment facility in southeastern San Diego. Joining a psychiatrist, he helped establish one of the first dual diagnosis programs in the area, addressing mental health in conjunction with substance abuse. He also developed a partnership with the Veterans Administration to serve veterans through a homeless outreach program. He also was instrumental in starting Stand Down, a three-day program in Balboa Park that has provided shelter and services for homeless veterans for 18 years. Cmdr. Walsh was immersed in his counseling career and studying for a doctorate in clinical psychology at USIU, now Alliant University, when he suffered a stroke. "He had to return to third-grade level grammar books to learn how to read and write all over again," Walsh-Jackson said. To help regain his communication skills, Cmdr. Walsh joined Toastmasters International. Heart problems stalled his progress, requiring bypass surgery and later a pacemaker. But Cmdr. Walsh found satisfaction in sharing his knowledge with cardiac patients and stroke victims through the South Bay Adult Care Program and STAR (Stroke Treatment Alternative Resources). Two years ago, he became an ombudsman volunteer for Aging and Independence Services in conjunction with the county's Health and Human Services Agency. His duties included investigating complaints, reporting findings and helping to achieve equitable settlements to protect the safety and rights of seniors in care facilities. Born Jan. 12, 1937, in Denver, Kirk Thomas Walsh went on to excel as a 5-foot-9, 170-pound running back at an all-boys Catholic high school. Known for his breakaway speed, he earned the moniker "Choo Choo." He continued to play football at the University of Colorado, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science with an anthropology minor. Commissioned as a Navy officer in 1962, Cmdr. Walsh flew aircraft including the Huey and Cobra helicopters and served two tours in Vietnam. Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Kay; daughters, Judy Walsh-Jackson, Patricia Coy and Stephanie Walsh, all of Chula Vista; son, John Thomas Walsh of Genoa, Italy; brother, John Martin Walsh of Alamosa, Colo.; and six grandchildren. Viewing is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Rose Chapel, Humphrey's Mortuary, 753 Broadway, Chula Vista. Rosary will be recited at 5 p.m. tomorrow, followed by a funeral Mass at 5:30 p.m. and a celebration of life at St. Piux X Catholic Church, 1120 Cuyamaca Ave., Chula Vista. Interment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Donations are suggested to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 424 East 92nd St., New York, NY 10128, and to Guesthouse, 1601 Joslyn Road, Lake Orion, Mich. 48360.
Burial information: Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, CA
This information was last updated 03/10/2021
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