I know my rights!

Day Trip

On Saturday Dad and I took a drive up to Lucas, KS and visited the Garden of Eden. An odd place. The guy is buried on his property in a mausoleum. You can go inside and see his open casket behind glass where his decaying corpse can be viewed but not photographed. What started as his works of art is now the towns tourist site.

We drove over to Wilson Lake to check it out for future use. It was a nice lake. We came back to Wilson after visiting Lucas and had a picnic lunch.

Some other things we saw in Wilson: the soldier memorial, the Midland Hotel, where the movie Paper Moon was filmed. And, of course, we stopped at the local cemetery.

Memorial Stone

Hi Clayton,
It's been several days since we talked so I will catch you up on some things in the next few posts. The memorial stone was set at the cemetery where Grandpa Wall is buried. I am doing the burial list that will be placed in the cases. Here are a couple of pictures:

Memories

Hi Clayton,

I like to have a picture with each post if I can, so while looking through photos I came across some old ones. I thought I'd share some "memories" from time-to-time. I promise, no naked baby pictures!

Can you believe how long its been since we took this trip? 1999. Watching you swim through that school of fish is one thing I remember from this trip, along with the lime green snake that swam beside me. I hope you have some good memories from this trip.

I missed talking to you yesterday. I attended the memorial service for Lee White. Warden Sam Cline asked me to participate in the laying of the wreath. I was honored. Below you can watch the ceremony that was recorded by The Hutchinson News. [I am in the middle]. I hope to talk to you today.

Smile via Video Chat

I got to SEE Clayton today. It's always nice to see his face while talking to him. And, yes, I took photos of the chat. That way I can see his smile later tonight. Besides, someone else might want to "see" him too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clayton,

I'm glad you were well-rested today. Take good care of yourself!
I love you!
Mom

Greetings from the Prairie Dogs

Hurry up, already!

Hi Clayton,
.
We miss you back here in Kansas. Oh, your Mom sure takes a lot of pictures of us. Now I know how you feel.

I am smiling!

Get my good side!

Message from Cousin Tressie

Tressie sent me a text today and said to tell you she loves you.

3 days of talk

Sunday we had a video chat with Clayton and that was followed by instant messaging on Monday and a phone call today. We'll take whatever technology is available to stay in contact with him. He's doing well overall.

He is getting settled into his new job and work schedule while trying to get enough rest and take care of other things like laundry. His first care package arrived a few days ago and he got it today, so it takes about a week and half to two weeks to arrive.

Hi Clayton

Hi Clay! It was good to hear from you today. I am so glad you FINALLY arrived at your FOB. You sounded a little weary and I'm sure your body has gone through so many time zones, days & nights lately that it has caught up with you. I pray for your strength and well-being as you adjust to your new surroundings.

Dad and I went to a banquet for church tonight and you can see what tie he is wearing. I've had a little issue of keeping up with my jewelry lately. Just ask anyone at church. Thankfully nothing was lost too long. God cares about even the smallest things in our life.

Dad is watching Star Wars as I write this. He said hello and sends his love. Oh, and thanks for the use of the truck. [We took it to the banquet].

We love you beyond words,
Mom & Dad

Finally Here

So yeah, finally here. Fob Fenty Afghanistan. It gets 20 degrees hotter here than where I was, thanks to the mountains and lower elevation.

They say when God finished making the world, he took all the left over rocks and dumped them in Afghanistan. From what I've seen, it's true.

Managed to snag a helicopter ride here, was a nice view as he went up and over the mountains, then some more mountains, then some more mountains.

I don't have the words to describe what I've seen thus far, only that it's very different from what we call civilization. Seeing buildings (I use the word loosely, but they are not huts by any means) made out of rock and earth in little clusters along the river where the ground is fertile and flat enough as the rivers cut through the mountains.

Getting settled in over the next few days, already starting my assignments.

So sweet...

Look at the sweet gift that came in the mail today. Thanks Gary & Karen. We love you too!!! I'll find the perfect spot for it in the garden.

You've got mail

Hi Clayton,

You have some items on the way. Yummy girl scout cookies from Dad's cousin, Deanna, and another phone card from Grandma Wall's sister, Aunt Diana. I'm sure there will be enough cookies to share.

It was good to hear from you again this morning. Your calls are a great start to my day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you Deanna and Diana for your gifts. We love you!

The Soldier's Creed

I am an American Soldier.

I am a Warrior and a member of a team.

I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my Warrior tasks and drills.

I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

I am an expert and I am a professional.

I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States in close combat.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.

Thanks for the truck!

In April we flew out to see Clayton one final time before he deployed. We drove home in his truck so it wouldn't sit back at Ft. Campbell for a year. It will come in handy with our yard chores this summer. Thanks, Clay!

Still waiting...

We talked to Clayton this morning. He's still waiting to be transported to his final post. I would be [am?] so frustrated by this long delay but he said he's over there for a year so he's just rolling with it. A good idea!

Here is a picture taken Christmas 2009 of Clayton and his cousin Lauren. They are just too cute for words!

Blue Star Banner

Our banner's arrived. This is hanging on our front door.

Early Call....still delayed

We didn't hear from Clayton on Sunday and Monday but we did at 3:00 am this morning. It was a short call since his calling card was low on minutes. Long enough to know he is fine and to tell us they attempted to fly him to his final base but the weather didn't cooperate. I know he is frustrated to be idle like this. Stay focused, son!

Video to Clayton

Our posts lately have been updates about Clayton. This is a post & video for Clayton. [No laughing]. We missed talking to you today. We hope you had a good day and that we will talk to you this coming week.

We love you,
Mom & Dad

More Calls From Clayton

Clayton's Campaign

I didn't blog yesterday but we did receive a call from Clayton, as well as one this morning. We have had contact with him every day since Monday. He calls in his early evening when it is our early morning. We may not get a call tomorrow if he can't call before we leave for church. He had a great dinner yesterday: shrimp, steak, lobster and other good side dishes. He seems to be fed well.

He's hoping to get transported to his final destination soon. I'd like to see if we can set up a schedule of communication. And, hopefully he can visit here and add his own posts and photos. Hearing from him has helped with some of my anxiety but I know there will be days ahead that he may be unable to call. Faith over fear!

Please continue to pray for him and all that serve our country and defend our freedom.

A day of training

Clayton at Ft. Sill, OK - AIT

Well, our day started with another call from Clayton. 3 days in a row! A great start to my day indeed. He had a day of training and is waiting to be transported to his final destination in Afghanistan. Hopefully that will be this week.

The Story Behind the Penguin

In the early 1990's we bought our first home computer. Boy have things changed since then. I sent an online greeting card to our brother and sister-in-law, Gary & Karen Wall. It was cutesy with penguins. A few weeks later I opened a package and inside was "the penguin" being returned to me. It has lived in our refrigerator since arriving, right next to the jam and pickles. Since then we try to out do each other with penguin gifts and surprises. These days it seems you can find penguin stuff everywhere. It wasn't always so easy.

Some of the best ones I can recall is the penguin toothpick dispenser we got for them, the penguin silver bowl from them, the penguin towels they received and the "you've just been penguined" display we found on our lawn in 2008 at Christmas time. It has been fun and I hope we continue until we are too old to shop for the next best penguin thing.

Clay thought it was a good idea to have the penguin accompany him to Afghanistan. So, in the year ahead when you see penguin photos on this blog you'll know the story behind the penguin.

I'll end this post with the photo below. Posted just for Gary & Karen. I snapped this photo when we had our video chat with Clay when he was en route to Afghanistan.

Clayton & the penguin - half way around the world.

Calls from Clayton

Before I had a chance to blog about our call from Clayton yesterday we had another one this morning. Certainly a great way to start my day. He has finally arrived at his process location in Afghanistan. He's not sure how long he will be there. Then it will be on to his final destination. He sounded tired. It took 5 days to get there so I imagine his body is feeling a little weary.

Thank you Diane Parsons for the phone card you gave him at his party. That is what he is using to call us. We are hoping to do more video chats when he gets settled in and has access to the internet. I certainly would prefer to see his face. I'm happy that we have the technology to keep us connected.

Blue Star Banner

Immediate family members will be receiving these soon. Here is a link to the history of the blue star banner at Wikipedia.

Contact with Clayton

Today was a good day despite the rainy dreary weather. After a couple of delays Clayton left the United States a few days ago. I was very happy and surprised to hear from him today. Barry and I had 2 video chats with him. To hear his voice was great, to see his face was wonderful.

Technology may allow me to retain some of my sanity during this long year ahead of us. I could not imagine being an Army Mom at any other time. It was hard enough not to hear from him much during basic training. To have him across the world, in danger, with limited contact would be too stressful. Regardless of our communication capabilities I will still worry. This is where my Faith must be stronger than my fear.

He will "process" outside of Afghanistan. Where I do not know. I guess I will have to get used to not knowing all the details. He is still en route and it could be a week before he's settled in at his final destination.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this photo.

Here are 2 more photos that Clayton emailed to me today:

Helmet Insignia

Clayton is attached to the HHC, 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne. His helmet insignia is the club.

1st Brigade Combat Team - "Bastogne"- (♣)

Bastogne - The First Eight Days

Here are two pictures he emailed to me today.

En Route

I'm somewhere on the other side of the world. My sunset is your sunrise and still I've further to go. I've spent more than a day on the same aircraft, and even now on solid ground I can almost feel the subtle sway of a turning airplane at 30,000 feet.

The ash storms of Iceland have delayed travel, but we are getting closer.

I hope to get moving again tomorrow. The bed will be nice to sleep in but it delays us from our goal.

Soon enough.

Date & Time in Afghanistan

I have added a date and time clock for Afghanistan to this blog. Look in the left column. The time difference is for my time zone - Central Standard Time. Where Clayton is in Afghanistan is 9 1/2 hours ahead of me. That could be more or less for you, depending on where you live.

If you are interested in the weather over there - which looks to be hot in the week ahead  - visit this site.

I'm still reading through online links to understand why the time difference includes an extra half hour. Here are a couple links if you would like to further understand time zones:

Link 1
Link 2

Want to look up time zones for other countries? Use the World Clock. This is what I used to configure the date and time clock I'm using on this blog.

Not sure where Afghanistan is? Check out these links: [click on Asia Maps]

Link 1
Link 2

Would you have guessed that Clayton's deployment would provide us with the opportunity for geography lessons and more?

The Flag Tie

This is the only tie that Barry plans to wear to church while Clayton is deployed.

I briefly mentioned the flag tie in another post. Here is the story behind it: Friends from our church, Jim & Juna Keever, have a son in the Marines. David has served in Iraq and last month returned from Afghanistan. When David deployed Jim decided this was the only tie he would wear to church during David's deployment. Jim was happy to take this tie off when David returned to the states and he passed it on to Barry. They truly know the journey ahead of us.

Today was the first Sunday for Barry to wear the tie to church. It is also Mother's Day. My sweet Mama isn't here for me to share the day with but she knows how much I love and miss her. As a mother, I can't imagine being any more proud of Clayton than I am. He is the best gift on this earth from God.

We too are looking forward to the day when Barry can take off the tie when Clayton is home with us again. We hope there will be no need to pass it on.

To Clay: Winging its way

Nope, I couldn't wait. Care package #1 has been delivered to the post office by Mom & Dad. Let us know when it arrives! We do hope you like the surprise. We love you!

Care Packages & Mail to Clayton

Here is some helpful information for those that want to send care packages and mail to Clayton.

Care Packages:

The post office has a flat rate box that is used for military care packages. See the photo below. The box is available at no cost. You will need to pick up the box, label and customs form. My post office gave me 3 and said to request more each time I bring one in to mail.

1. Fill the box - stuff with paper or bubble wrap so the items do not shift. [no perishables]

2. Complete the label with the "From" and "To" information. Do Not Apply to box.

3. Complete the customs form - NOTE: The form states that you must list every item in the box. The form only has 4 lines to list items. It states you need an additional form for listing additional items. My post office said it was not necessary. So, I would suggest you list the 4 main items that may have the higher value, which you must declare a value with the item count and weight.

Another note on the customs form: The Military APO address will not fit neatly into the address field like our normal addresses. Just write it in the best you can.

The post office will apply the label and place the customs form on the package.

Shipping care packages using these boxes will only cost $12.50. If you use any other box your cost to ship will depend on the actual weight.

Regular Mail:

The cost to mail a regular letter is the current postage rate.

If you need Clayton's address please email me [galewall@gmail.com]. Clayton has asked that it not be posted on this blog.

Safe Travels

My precious son, I pray that our Lord will carry you safely to your destination. Thank you for your courage to serve our country and secure our freedom. We have always been so proud of you. We are counting the days until you are home with us again. We love you beyond words.

Mom & Dad

The ribbon is up

Please keep Clayton in your prayers during his deployment to Afghanistan.

Pray for him, the 101st Airborne, 1st Brigade and all that serve to secure our freedom.