Walt Brinker

Walt Brinker has provided well over 2,000 free-of-charge roadside assists as a hobby. He wrote this short, unique book, "Roadside Survival: Low-Tech Solutions to Automobile Breakdowns", after deciding it was time to try to empower as many others as possible to avoid vehicle breakdowns and becoming stranded.

He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, and was commissioned in the U.S. Army as an infantry second lieutenant. His Army career included two combat tours in Vietnam, tactics instructor at the US Army Infantry School, troop duty in Germany and the US, Command and General Staff College, and a tour at the Pentagon on the Army Staff, working to field the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and modernize the Army’s infantry battalions.

He retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1990. Military awards include Silver Star, two Bronze Stars for valor, two Bronze Stars for service, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, Ranger Tab, Airborne wings, Army Staff Identification Badge, and two awards of the Legion of Merit.

In 1971, Walt married Betsy, now an accomplished designer and fabricator of costumes for mascots of professional sports teams. He and Betsy have five children and ten grandchildren. One son is a software code developer in Boston. Three other sons serve in the U.S. Army on active duty with Special Forces units. His daughter is a certified financial planner.

After retiring from the Army in 1990, he settled in Katy, Texas, working in management positions for two security companies, and as a project controls engineer for a large engineering and construction company. In 2010 he moved to North Carolina, to live near grandchildren, and worked as a project manager, retiring in 2012.

Since 1980 he has been providing free-of-charge roadside assists as a hobby - which has been featured in several magazine articles and two newspapers: The Houston Chronicle, and The Fayetteville Observer. He teaches Roadside Survival at Fayetteville Technical Community College, and he has spoken at several Law Enforcement and Driver Education conventions. A sampling of his presentations and articles is on his website: http://www.roadsidesurvival.com/. Several secondary school districts use his book, "Roadside Survival," to teach driver education.