Kern County CA Archives Obituaries.....Helms , Walter A.  November 17, 2005
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The Bakersfield Californian 
Helms, Walter A.     
1922 - 2005 
 
In Loving Memory 
Walter A. Helms 
WWII Hero 
July 4, 1922 - Nov. 17, 2005 

Walter A. Helms of Harrisburg, Oregon, formerly of Maricopa, died November 
17th, 2005 of Alzheimer's disease. He was 83. Helms was born in Maricopa on 
July 4, 1922, to Clifford and Zula Felts Helms. He was the youngest of three 
children. His brother, Vernon Helms of Taft, and his sister, Helen, preceded 
him in death. Helms enlisted in the army in 1940 after graduating from 
Maricopa High School. James (Bud) Seale, Thomas Kennedy, and Helms, all of 
Maricopa, enlisted together and were sent to the Philippines. All three were 
captured by the Japanese and were in the Bataan Death March. Surviving the 
Death March, Helms was sent to Pusan, Korea, in 1942 and boarded a train for 
Mukden, Manchuria. Helms was a POW of the Japanese until the end of World War 
II in 1945. Of the three enlistees 1940, he was the only one who returned 
home. He received the following military awards: the Purple Heart, American 
Defense Service with Bronze Star, Asiatic Pacific Campaign with two Bronze 
Stars, Philippine Liberation with Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal, and WWII 
Victory Medal. He retired from the Army in 1964. After retirement, he sold 
real estate and worked as a maintenance supervisor in Washington state until 
he retired in 1984. He has lived in Oregon since 1998. Survivors include his 
wife, Betty; a son, Barney Helms of Bakersfield; four grandchildren; one great-
grandchild; four step-grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two nieces, 
Wendy Ezell and Jan Ennis, and his sister-in-law, Marye Alice Helms of 
Bakersfield. You will be truly missed by your friends and family alike. 

Legacy.com

Published in the Bakersfield Californian on 1/1/2006.  


Additional Comments:
Volunteer submission - No relation to deceased
No other information available from submitter.
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