Walter Strauss enlisted on August 14, 1942 and rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant before his death. Strauss helped keep order in the 116th Infantry Regiment as they charged up Omaha Beach during the D-Day Invasion. Afterwards, the unit went on to fight back the German Army at St. Lo, Brest, and Julich. The 116th earned a Presidential Unit Citation and a French Croix de Guerre with Palm for their efforts on D-Day. Strauss himself received a Purple Heart.

As an infantry soldier, Strauss would have worn a tan haversack, entrenching tool, M1 rifle, cartridge belt, rations, and, depending on the mission, a gas mask. During the D-Day Invasion, equipment for infantry soldiers weighed upwards of 80 pounds. Strauss died shortly after the landing on June 9, 1944, and he is currently interned at the Normandy American Cemetery on the cliffs overlooking Omaha Beach.