When Walter Verlin Dial was born on December 29, 1894, in Sheridan, West Virginia, his father, Albert, was 26 and his mother, Letha, was 23. He had one brother and three sisters. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Second Lieutenant in Company B, 2nd Machine Gun Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action on October 4, 1918 in Champagne-Ardenne, France at the age of 23 and is now buried in Woodmere Memorial Park, Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia, USA. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 2d Machine-Gun Battalion, 1st Division, A.E.F., near Fleville, France, October 5, 1918. Lieutenant Dial displayed exceptional courage in leading his platoon in attacking and breaking up German machine-gun nests under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire. Although he was wounded, Lieutenant Dial refused to be evacuated and continued to advance until he was killed. General Orders No. 68, War Department, 1920.