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Wal-Mart billionaire John Walton dies in plane crash(Vietnam Vet,Silver Star)
AFP ^ | 06/28/05

Posted on 06/27/2005 7:54:07 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

Wal-Mart billionaire John Walton dies in plane crash

55 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - John Walton, a billionaire heir of retail giant Wal-Mart, died when the small home-made plane he was flying crashed in a national park in Wyoming, authorities said.

Walton's plane crashed at 12:20 pm local time (1820 GMT) shortly after taking off from Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park, the National Park Service said in a statement. The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

"Walton, the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft, died on impact and was later pronounced dead at the scene by Teton County Coroner, Bob Campbell," the statement said.

A park spokeswoman said Walton, 58, was an experienced pilot who was flying a home-made aircraft with an aluminum frame and wings wrapped in fabric similar to heavy-duty sail cloth.

"This was an experimental, very lightweight aircraft," the spokeswoman, Joan Anzelmo, told AFP. It weighed between 400 and 500 pounds (180 to 225 kilograms), she said.

The Park Service's statement described it as an "ultralight aircraft with a small, gas-powered engine."

Weather conditions were good at the time of the crash, Anzelmo said.

Walton, the second son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, was the world's 11th richest person with a net worth exceeding 18 billion dollars, according to Forbes magazine.

He had been a member of Wal-Mart's board of directors since 1992 and lived in Jackson, Wyoming, a town known as a resort for wealthy Americans.

In a statement, Wal-Mart expressed sorrow over his death and described Walton as a Vietnam War hero and philanthropist.

"As a board member of the Walton Family Foundation, Walton played a leading role in guiding the Foundations contributions to elementary and high school education, including scholarship programs to provide parents with greater choice in education," it said.

Walton served as a medic in the US Army Green Berets during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Silver Star "for saving the lives of several members of his unit while under intense enemy fire," the company said.

He worked as a crop duster in the 1970s and as a boat builder in 1980s and 1990s.

Walton formed the holding company True North, which includes businesses ranging from advanced composites to boat building to venture capital investments, Wal-Mart said.

He is survived by his wife Christy and their son, Luke; his mother Helen; and his siblings Rob, Jim and Alice.

Wal-Mart employs more than 1.5 million people around the world, with more than 3,600 stores in the United States and another 1,500 abroad, including China, South Korea, Germany, Brazil and Britain.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Arkansas; US: Wyoming
KEYWORDS: billionaires; greenberet; heir; johnwalton; obituary; planecrash; terribletragedy; truenorth; vietnamvet; walmart
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1 posted on 06/27/2005 7:54:10 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Same kind of X plane that killed John Denver?


2 posted on 06/27/2005 7:58:02 PM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorism by visiting johnathangaltfilms.com and jihadwatch.org)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Liberals rejoice.


3 posted on 06/27/2005 8:00:51 PM PDT by Ron in Acreage (It's the borders stupid! "ALLEN IN 08")
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To: TigerLikesRooster

A man's man. Prayers for the Walton Family.


4 posted on 06/27/2005 8:01:08 PM PDT by montag813
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To: Destro

re: John Denver

No


5 posted on 06/27/2005 8:05:10 PM PDT by MindBender26 (Having my own CAR-15 in RVN meant never having to say I was sorry......)
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To: Ron in Acreage

"Liberals rejoice."


My initial reaction, exactly. (I am very sorry, though, to hear the nears. Condolences to his family.)


6 posted on 06/27/2005 8:09:35 PM PDT by MoochPooch (A righteous person worries about his or her behavior, an extremist about everyone else's.)
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To: montag813

Agreed.


7 posted on 06/27/2005 8:11:35 PM PDT by hsalaw
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To: TigerLikesRooster

The man had some serious dust to be fooling around in an ultralight.

I've seen some that you couldn't pay me to fly.


8 posted on 06/27/2005 8:12:05 PM PDT by bill1952 ("All that we do is done with an eye towards something else.")
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To: potlatch

Here's the link. R.I.P. Mr. Walton.


9 posted on 06/27/2005 8:12:36 PM PDT by ntnychik
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To: montag813

dittos. May those of his squadmates who crossed over before him now welcome him into heaven with open arms and an American warrior's embrace.


10 posted on 06/27/2005 8:13:20 PM PDT by CGVet58 (God has granted us Liberty, and we owe Him Courage in return)
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To: Ron in Acreage

Apparently so do a few "conservatives" judging by some posts I scanned through elsewhere.

Link to another post with amazing detail on this hero.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1431891/posts?page=255#255


11 posted on 06/27/2005 8:13:20 PM PDT by Soul Seeker
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To: montag813; Chieftain

wow. A True War Hero.

Is anyone thinking suicide? That was the first thing I thought of.


12 posted on 06/27/2005 8:14:05 PM PDT by Recovering Ex-hippie (Everything I need to know about Islam I learned on 9-11!)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Walton served as a medic in the US Army Green Berets during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Silver Star "for saving the lives of several members of his unit while under intense enemy fire

All that and a war hero to boot.

13 posted on 06/27/2005 8:15:58 PM PDT by GVnana
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Very sad! Prayers for him and his family.

I wonder what John Kerry's reaction is - after all the guy was worth much more than John Heinz.
14 posted on 06/27/2005 8:16:47 PM PDT by still_learning (Will Rogers never met Dick Durbin)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

May he find eternal peace...
Semper Fi


15 posted on 06/27/2005 8:17:29 PM PDT by river rat (You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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To: Soul Seeker

I read his bio earlier. A true hero. He was also an enemy of the left because he gave millions for school choice programs to help minorities get out from those dumbed down liberal democrat run schools.


16 posted on 06/27/2005 8:18:18 PM PDT by Ron in Acreage (It's the borders stupid! "ALLEN IN 08")
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To: Recovering Ex-hippie
"Is anyone thinking suicide?"

No! Why would you?

17 posted on 06/27/2005 8:19:55 PM PDT by Buffalo Head (Illigitimi non carborundum)
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To: Ron in Acreage
Liberals rejoice.

And, sad to say, so do a lot of FReepers.

18 posted on 06/27/2005 8:23:28 PM PDT by Gabz (My give-a-damn is busted.)
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To: Ron in Acreage

Charitable man as well.

I knew very little about him before his death. Learning of his life, the extent of the loss builds. Fine man, must be very hard for his family.

Shame people buy into the sterotypes about these people because they are successful, yet know next to nothing about the real sum of the man or woman to make a sound judgement.


19 posted on 06/27/2005 8:24:53 PM PDT by Soul Seeker
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To: Soul Seeker

Thank you.

May he rest in Peace.


20 posted on 06/27/2005 8:25:02 PM PDT by Gabz (My give-a-damn is busted.)
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