Walter Blunt was born Walter Dale Blunt on the outskirts of Sacramento, January 29, 1953 to Henrietta Linda Blunt and George Oscar Blunt. He was an only child. By all accounts (there are a few) Walter grew up in an ideal household with friends of many stripes and plenty of aunts, uncles, and cousins. He never knew his grandparents. His grade schooling was uneventful. But, he showed an interest in science from an early age and that followed him into high school and his career.

His interest in policing came from his uncle, Dale Frost (Henrietta's brother). Dale was a crack shot who took Walter out to his farm to teach him how to shoot. He was instrumental in Walter's appreciation of death, kindness, authority, power, and responsibility. Indeed, Walter never drew his gun in the line of duty, preferring to deescalate tense situations.

Violence sits at the heart of a contradiction in Walter. His high school career started off with a bang as he ran a romantic rival off the road in a fit of rage. He only spent a night in jail and was let off pretty lightly by the judge. The story itself is murky, with one local newspaper mentioning it in passing. The short version goes that Walter was smitten by a young woman who moved to the area over the summer. Before the school year even started, there was talk among his friends of a rival who was friendly with her. Things came to a head when the rival, in a tank of a car, mocked Walter and the motorcycle he was riding while at an intersection. When the light changed, Walter managed to force his rival off the road and into a light pole. This kind of gut reaction is, in my opinion, what finally kills Walter Blunt.