Ambrose student’s death likely an accident
TODAY: (Update: 6:56 p.m.) MILWAUKEE — The death of Iraq War veteran and St. Ambrose University student Max Walker appears to be an accidental drowning, according to an investigative report compiled by the Milwaukee Police Department.
Walker’s body was recovered from the Milwaukee River on Thursday, a day after he was reported missing by a colleague with whom he was staying in Milwaukee.
According to the police report, Walker, 26, was at the Buckhead Saloon — a downtown Milwaukee nightspot in a tourist area known as the RiverWalk — until about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The report said a security video camera showed he left the bar by himself. He was reported missing when he did not show up by noon Wednesday at the hotel where he was staying with a friend.
A construction crew spotted his body Thursday in the river at a spot not far from the RiverWalk and the bar. Walker was in Milwaukee to attend Northwestern Mutual Life’s annual financial representatives meeting. He was hired in December as an intern by the Milwaukee-based insurance and finance company.
Employees at the Buckhead Saloon told police Walker appeared to be very intoxicated when he left there early Wednesday.
According to the report, Walker’s parents told police their son did not drink frequently, but when he did, they said he “easily loses his balance, he falls and once he even fell backward and hit his head. When he is intoxicated, he has an extremely difficult time walking, talking, finding direction.”
His mother said her son had adjusted well to his return from military duty in Iraq during February 2005, had recently gotten back together with his girlfriend and was excited about his job.
She also stated that he was not a swimmer and was very afraid of water.
In the report, Lt. Gary Schuster wrote that he told Walker’s mother, “I felt that her son probably walked to the end of the RiverWalk and slipped at the edge of the short concrete barrier. I expressed to the family that my investigation leans toward an accidental death.”
The results of an autopsy were not available Friday, but an initial examination of the body revealed no signs of foul play, according to the report.
Walker was a finance and economics major at St. Ambrose who came to the Davenport campus from Grand Island, Neb.
He served in Iraq with the 308th Transportation Company based out of Lincoln, Neb., during 2004-05.
Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com.
EARLIER STORY
War vet found dead in Milwaukee
By Tory Brecht
MILWAUKEE — The body of an Iraq War veteran and standout finance department student from St. Ambrose University was recovered from the Milwaukee River on Thursday, one day after he had been reported missing.
Police said Max Walker, 26, of Davenport, was last seen leaving the Buckhead Saloon, a downtown nightspot near the Bradley Center civic arena and the river, about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. When he did not show up by noon Wednesday at the hotel where he was staying with a friend, he was reported missing, Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said.
Walker was in Milwaukee to attend Northwestern Mutual Life’s annual financial representatives meeting. He was hired in December as a financial representative intern by the Milwaukee-based insurance and finance company, spokesman Mark Lucius said.
A construction crew called police Thursday after seeing a body in the water near the city’s RiverWalk, within blocks of the Buckhead Saloon.
“There is no evidence of foul play at this time,” Schwartz said, adding that an autopsy will be conducted by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office.
Walker was a finance and economics major at St. Ambrose who came to the Davenport college from Grand Island, Neb.
He was also an Iraq War veteran who served with the 308th Transportation Company based out of Lincoln, Neb., during 2004-05.
Retired St. Ambrose professor Ray Chohan said Walker was one of the best students in his finance class.
“I found that, among all the students I had at that time, he was much more mature than others in the class,” Chohan said. “He appeared to have some leadership qualities. He always took initiative and shared his feelings and views. He was a very good student. I was really impressed by him. He always went the extra mile.”
Katie Voelliger, 20, interviewed Walker this past spring for a newspaper article on the university’s new Finance Club.
“I communicated with Max a few times since he thought of Ambrose starting the club,” said Voelliger, a Bettendorf resident who is news editor of The Buzz, the student newspaper on the Davenport campus. “He was a nice gentleman and had a love for finance and business that really showed. I’m sure he will be missed.”
Walker was one of several combat veterans interviewed by the Quad-City Times in December for an article about soldiers returning to college life.
He was a truck driver for the 308th, tasked with hauling supplies and personnel into Iraq from Kuwait. His unit often dealt with improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and insurgent attacks.
“My company drove 3.1 million miles and, other than the one IED at the beginning of the year, we never got hit,” he said.
The war changed his perspective, Walker said.
“People become spiritual at two times in their lives: one is in the Army and one is in the prison,” he explained.
He also spoke of his worries about being called up again as a member of the Army Reserves.
“I’m concerned about getting school interrupted again, especially because of my specialty,” he said. “Truck drivers are needed a lot. I anticipate being called up again.”
Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com.