Colonel Walbrook D. Swank Collection
A native of Harrisonburg, Virginia, retired Air Force Colonel Walbrook Davis Swank has had a long, eventful and productive life experience. In his 32-year career, his awards include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, five major command awards for outstanding and meritorious service and a Distinguished Service Citation from the Secretary of the Treasury.
He was personnel officer on the staffs of the Commanding Generals of the Air Material Command and the 17th AF Service Command, W-PAFB, Ohio; Pacific Overseas Air Technical Service Command, Oakland, California; and the Alaskan Air Command, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
During WWII his duties included assisting some notable Americans including the President's son, Brig. General Elliott Roosevelt, Brig. General Charles Lindbergh, General Jimmy Doolittle, and Brig. Jimmy Stewart - the movie actor. The Colonel served on the War Department Personnel Research Council and the Federal Personnel Councils in Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; San Francisco, California; and Anchorage, Alaska. In 1954, he was assigned to a short tour of duty in the Office of the Personnel Advisor to the President, The White House, during the Eisenhower administration. For nineteen years, he was a member of the Army and Air Force Civilian Welfare Fund.
With a great interest in Southern history and heritage, at age 70, he wrote his first book, Clash of Sabers -- Blue and Gray. The work was about the Civil War experiences of his grandfather, Thomas S. Davis, who was a member of the 10th Virginia Cavalry and a relative of President Jefferson Davis. Sixteen books about the Civil War followed, along with three about WWII. His twentieth book is due for release next month.
He is a member of the Military Order of the Stars and Bars from which he received its Distinguished Service Award and the prestigious Henry Timrod Culture Award for his outstanding contributions toward the understanding, appreciation and explanation of Southern arts and letters.
The Civil war buff is a member of the Society of Civil War Historians, Sons of the American Revolution and three Virginia Historical Societies. He is a past president of the Linworth Kiwanis Club and member of the Ohio State Alumni Association and Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.
The Colonel, twice widowed, resides at “Walbrook” at Frederick's Hall with his wife, the former Frances Byrd Powell, a retired local school teacher.
Books Written or Edited by Colonel Swank:
 Old Abe's Jokes: Humorous Stories Told of and by Abraham Lincoln (Civil War Heritage Series, V. 9)1996-06 |
 Pacific Odyssey: History of the Uss Steele During Wwii1998-12 |
 Defending the Southern Confederacy: The Men in GrayMarch 23, 2001 |
 Battle of Trevillian Station: The Civil War Greatest and Bloodiest All Cavalry Battle (Civil War Heritage, Vol 4)May 17, 2007 |
 Confederate Letters and Diaries 1861-1865May 17, 2007 |
 My WWII Diary and the War Effort With War News Day by Day1996-12 |
 My WWII Diary and the War Effort with War News Day by Day1996 |
 Raw Pork and Hardtack: A Civil War Memoir from Manassas to Appomattox (Civil War Heritage Series, V. 10)1996-06 |
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The war & Louisa County, 1861-1865 1986 |
 Courier for Lee and Jackson: 1861 1865 Memoirs (Civil War Heritage, Vol 2)1993-04 |
