Walter Nowell Perry, Jr. was born on June 8, 1923 in North Carolina. He was the son of Walter Nowell and Annie Mae Lowery Perry. Walter, Jr. served in the 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group as a Captain during World War II. On December 23, 1944, he was piloting “Toolin’ Fool,” P-51 #44-11689 when it went down over Regogne, Belgium. He was killed in combat, making a pass at enemy fighters in a dive his aircrafts wings collapsed and he dived straight in. CPT Perry is buried now in the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg. His family erected a cenotaph in their plot in the White Plains Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Bladen County, North Carolina. His name is also listed on the Leiston Airfield Memorial in England, but his middle initial is inscribed as H.