At the time of his death, on June 9, 1944, Walter Strauss had rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant in the 116th Infantry Regiment. 

Strauss' time spent on American soil may have been brief, but his impact was long lasting. As a young Jewish man growing up in German occupied Poland, Strauss faced the treacheries of Nazi fascism. After only 4 years in Erie, Pennsylvania as a shipping clerk, Strauss enlisted in the US Army to fight the evil he once lived under. During his time serving in the US Army, Strauss was never an American citizen, yet the valor he displayed on the battlefield transcended nationalities, earning him the rank of Staff Sergeant. Like many of his comrades charging up Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, the fighting on D-Day would be Strauss' last. While his familial support in the States may have been sparse, his sacrifice has not been forgotten and will remain immortalized in this memorial.

Walter Strauss is currently interred in the Normandy American Cemetery on the cliffs overlooking Omaha Beach along with 9,386 comrades spanning 172.5 acres.