In a time of war, first-year student wields the pen behind America's sword
Post Date: January 19, 2007
Justin Walker '09
In the weeks leading up to law school, most incoming 1Ls are busy searching for housing and buying books. Justin Walker '09 had other priorities. He spent his first days in Cambridge scrambling to prepare a speech for the U.S. secretary of defense.
"I didnt have an Internet connection because Comcast wasn't coming to my apartment for another week," recalled Walker, who ended up tapping into wireless networks at a local Starbucks and the public library.
Walker had just finished 18 months working at the Pentagon as a full-time speechwriter for Donald Rumsfeld, the outspoken former defense secretary. After moving to Cambridge to begin at HLS, he continued writing for Rumsfeld on a contract basis. "I guess I was a bit of a fox in the henhouse," Walker said, noting his new city's famously liberal reputation.
After completing his political science degree at Duke University, Walker managed to get an interview for a fact-checking job in the Pentagon's public affairs office. He impressed the interviewer enough to get a shot at a speechwriting position.
Walker drafted a speech for Rumsfeld to deliver to the Chicago Chamber of Commerce (a fictitious assignment) and apparently hit the right notes. Just three weeks later, he began reporting to the Pentagon for work each morning.
"I had the longest hair and the shortest résumé," said Walker, who was just 22 when he became a Department of Defense employee. After a series of internships in college and a stint as a volunteer in the Bush-Cheney "war room" during the 2004 presidential campaign, it was his first paying job. Walker says hell never forget that first day. "You're working in one of the four places that our enemy thought so symbolized America that they wanted to ram airplanes into it," he said. "I really felt honored to be there, especially in a time of war."
He went on to write a range of speeches for Rumsfeld, from major addresses delivered before large audiences to small events with only a dozen VIPs in the room. The job occasionally took Walker on the road with Rumsfeld, including a weeklong trip that included stops -- and speeches -- in Singapore, Thailand, Norway and Belgium.
Although he's reluctant to single out a specific speech or moment, Walker is visibly stirred when he speaks about a trip he took with Rumsfeld to Shanksville, Pa., the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers overpowered the 9/11 hijackers.
"Those passengers were the first soldiers in the global war on terror," Walker said. "It's nice to know that we live in a country where youre flying on a plane and the people around you are capable of doing that kind of thing."
After the speech in Shanksville, Walker and Rumsfeld -- along with a small entourage -- traveled by helicopter to the U.S. Army War College, where the defense secretary gave a major address on the nature of the enemy.
Walker's eyes narrow as he mentions an 8-year-old girl who was killed on 9/11. He takes issue with those who say the war on terror isn't a real war. And, demonstrating his rhetorical skills, he finished his thoughts with a call to arms: "Remember, the enemy wants to do 9/11 again and again, and on a bigger scale."
Although he concedes that Rumsfeld is a controversial figure, Walker has tremendous respect for the former defense secretary, whom he considers to be a relentlessly dedicated public servant. While he repeatedly refers to his Pentagon experience as the chance of a lifetime, these days Walker is focused on the future. "Harvard Law School is an opportunity that I couldnt say no to."
-- Michael Armini