An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

HomeNewsArticle Display

Heisman Trophy winner visits Buckley

Col. John Wagner, 460th Space Wing commander, thanks Herschel Walker, former National Football League running back, for visiting the installation June 8, 2016, at the fitness center on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Walker visited Buckley to speak about his appreciation for military members and the struggles he’s had to overcome. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski/Released)

Col. John Wagner, 460th Space Wing commander, thanks Herschel Walker, former National Football League running back, for visiting the installation June 8, 2016, at the fitness center on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Walker visited Buckley to speak about his appreciation for military members and the struggles he’s had to overcome. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski/Released)

Herschel Walker, former National Football League running back, speaks to an audience June 8, 2016, at the fitness center on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Walker spoke about his professional sports career and other business ventures he has been involved with. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski/Released)

Herschel Walker, former National Football League running back, speaks to an audience June 8, 2016, at the fitness center on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Walker spoke about his professional sports career and other business ventures he has been involved with. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski/Released)

Col. John Wagner, 460th Space Wing commander, walks with Herschel Walker, former National Football League running back June 8, 2016, on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Walker visited Buckley in order to speak about his life experiences as well as speak of his gratitude for military members. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski/Released)

Col. John Wagner, 460th Space Wing commander, walks with Herschel Walker, former National Football League running back June 8, 2016, on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Walker visited Buckley in order to speak about his life experiences as well as speak of his gratitude for military members. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski/Released)

Tech. Sgt. Michael Boyd, 460th Space Wing commander’s action group, takes a selfie with Herschel Walker, former National Football League running back, June 8, 2016, at the wing headquarters building on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Walker visited Buckley to show his appreciation for military members and speak about his own life experiences. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski/Released)

Tech. Sgt. Michael Boyd, 460th Space Wing commander’s action group, takes a selfie with Herschel Walker, former National Football League running back, June 8, 2016, at the wing headquarters building on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. Walker visited Buckley to show his appreciation for military members and speak about his own life experiences. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Luke W. Nowakowski/Released)

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --

“We were truly honored to visit with Mr. Herschel Walker,” said Col. John Wagner, 460th Space Wing commander. “He was an incredible athlete and role model, and he continues to be an inspirational and compassionate human being.  His concern for our warriors was truly motivating and we will carry his message forward to help us better serve each other as stronger wingmen.” 

Walker spoke to service members on Buckley AFB about his life on and off the field and some of the challenges he has had to overcome throughout his life.

One of the main challenges that Walker has had to overcome has been Dissociative Identity Disorder. DID is a disorder characterized by an individual having two distinct personality states along with suffering from impaired memory. He has sought out help for the disorder and has been able to move forward in his life in a positive manner.

Walker wanted to join the military out of high school but ended up attending the University of Georgia on a football scholarship, where he became an All-American and Heisman Trophy winner. After college, Walker played professional football for twelve years, retiring from the sport in 1997.

Walker now runs Renaissance Man Food Services along with participating in other business ventures. He hopes to have one more professional mixed martial arts fight before the end of the year, but is happy where he’s at in life.

Walker continues to travel the country, going from military base to military base speaking of his experiences and giving admiration to those who serve this country.

“A man can stand up for himself, but a bigger man stands up for others,” said Walker. “That’s why I admire the military, because they stand up for an entire country.”

USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.