Texas Castle, Yes, I Said Texas Castle!

Mike Newman, of Newman's Bakery fame, built his own castle near Bellville, Texas.  It took him 12 years, and hiring a helper on occasion, but he built the castle by himself.

 

Posing on the Ground

This cardinal watches me as much as I watch him. I wonder if he has a tiny little cell phone camera, and he takes my picture too?

Found a Beautiful Web Site on Fashion in Kuwait

You will find beautiful style and images on this web site!

http://www.confashionsfromkuwait.com/

Something in the Woods

I know that trees will not be in great supply in Kuwait, so I made photos this morning while feeding the animals.  Trees and woods change through the seasons, and these pictures communicate how gray and stark they look in the winter, they are quite lovely in a different way than they are during the summer.

My Life Philosophy

 

Why I Blog

All my computer skills are self taught... and there is a learning curve for me...  I have BDDTPP... (Brain Damage Due to Peroxide Poisoning,) and when I began blogging I didn't even know what blogging was.  My husband's deployment to the Middle East with the United States Army for two years, and then his transfer of service to the State Department for the last three fueled my need to blog.  I thought to myself when I started, "it is so much cheaper than therapy sort of a personal journal out loud."  I love it!  I have gained friends all around the world, people who are really important to me, and I am important to them... Who'd a thought!  Don't have a huge audience, but it has grown, and I never needed a huge audience.  "Communication, whether written, spoken, signed, or presented in the art forms is the essence of the human existence."  Debra LeCompte

Did I mention I love my little miniature goat named Rocket?  She has been a comfort to me in the long absences of my husband.  I will miss her when I move to Kuwait, but she will be here when we return home, waiting for us.  She loves my husband so, she butts heads with him for fun... Literally, he plays a game with her where they butt heads together...  He says it is good training for his job with the State Department.  You will love this little video where I tried to find an animal to share her pen for companionship.  Her Emily Post was a little shaky on the subject of entertaining bunnies....






 Now where else would I have a place to voice such thoughts other than in my own little blog about my life adventure of moving to Kuwait with my husband as he serves with the United States Department of State?

There is a Chill in the House This Morning

I checked the weather... Kuwait has Texas beat this morning!

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Sealy+TX+77474:4:US

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/KUXX0003:1

I bet Kuwait never has ice coated roses!

I took these pictures of ice coated roses about mid December in my front rose bed.

We Have Cows in Texas, Lots of Cows, Does Kuwait?

I Love Making Photos

These photos I made from my back-porch one day at sunrise, They are some of my best!

The little white dot is an actual star I managed to capture in the photo!

Kuwait is Writing Upon My Heart

 

 In Dreams To Me Kuwait is Singing

Far away and across the great ocean, there sits perfectly a place gleaming,
And from this  land where I have never been, comes to my heart her singing.

For so long every night, as I lie upon my bed in sleep, I begin dreaming.
And from this land where I have never been, comes to my heart her singing.

Always the visions rise first in my mind of her waters glistening and teaming.
And from this  land where I have never been, comes to my heart her singing.

 Azure waves of the Gulf softly kiss her beaches, which in the sun lie beaming
And from this land where I have never been, comes to my heart her singing.

Far away and across the great ocean, there sits perfectly a place gleaming,
And from this  land where I have never been, comes to my heart her singing.

Debra LeCompte

January 2014

                                      All Rights Reserved

How I Came to Write Poetry of War and Service in the Middle East

In June of 2010 I attended a Commander’s Conference in Moline, Illinois, at Rock Island Arsenal, where my husband’s Division was head-quartered.  The Commander’s wives were provided training in the skills of deployment survival, for we too serve and offer support whenever we can to the families of our nation’s heroes as they undertake the defense of the greatest nation the world has ever known.  It is an immense job, both for the Soldier, and for his family.  

At the conference two women spoke to our group, and never will I forget the impact they made on my life.  One beautiful forty-eight year old woman shared her story of losing her beloved Soldier.  It was a beautiful love story, a heart wrenching story of loss, and yet as she told it, we all knew despite the passing of her husband from this life to the next, she had known a love many never experience.

Through her tears and ours she told of her experiences both before his death and after as “the wife of a Soldier.”  She told of how she loved the life of the Army, how she loved being the devoted wife of a Soldier, and all that this experience entails.  She also shared the story of learning that her husband had lost his life in The War on Terror.  She told of how she had somehow known for around two weeks that her husband was never coming home, and how she had waited and watched for the Chaplain and an officer to come, as they always do, to bring her the news that had already began to steal over her heart.  She waited the news that he had “given his last full measure of devotion” for us all. 

The vision of her face streaming with tears, the earnestness of her broken heart, and sharing the joy that had been hers in a once in a lifetime love, will never leave me, and indeed haunted me until I needed to find the words to express what the experience had meant to me.  

When I was a little girl, my father read to my sister and me every night, and often it was poetry.  He is a veteran, although he says he does not deserve that title, as he never fought in battle.  He was a part of the occupation forces right after WWII, and almost died of malaria and its' complications, and later served in the Texas National Guard while I was a young child.  Those childhood memories of his reading to us each night before sleep are some of the sweetest of my life.  My father is giant of a man,  He loved being a Soldier, and if not for the love of my mother, and her need to be close to her large family, he would have been a "lifer." I had never written a word of poetry until I met the two women at this conference, heard of their losses, and then somewhere deep in my soul, I heard the whisper of my father's voice from childhood reading "The Road Less Taken," and I have not stopped writing poetry since..

The News

Oh Woman, Woman, why do you wait?

There stands no person at your gate.

Oh Woman, Woman, why is the tear in your eye?

He promised he would be home, bye and bye,

Oh Woman, Woman, why do you turn your ear?

What soft voice is it that you hear?

Oh Woman, Woman why does your heart lurch?

It is only a man coming from the church.

Oh Woman, Woman, I see there are two.

One in a green uniform with something sad he must do.

Oh Woman, Woman, now I know,

How hard will be the way that you must go.

Oh Woman, Woman, surely you remember,

That he promised love like yours is forever tender.

Oh Woman, Woman the wait is so short.

He has only gone before you for heaven’s report.

By Debra LeCompte

June2010

This next poem I wrote in tribute to the other woman who spoke at our conference, she had lost a son, and even as she attended our conference and spoke of the loss of her son, she had another son serving in Afghanistan.  Some women, have a strength which reminds me of one of my favorite books, East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, 

"I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible."
 

Oh War, Oh War How Sad To Say

Oh War, oh War, how sad to say,

You take our sons and daughters far away.

To subdue tyrants and those who rule,

With hearts so evil and ever cruel.

Oh War oh War, how sad to say,

Always there is a price to pay.

There born on shoulders bowed with care,

Comes the coffins of the young who dare.

Oh War, oh War, how sad to say,

Many are the tears of mothers that fall on that day.

When their dear child is finally laid to rest,

In the soil of their country for which they gave their best.

Oh War, oh War, how sad to say,

Too many are the children who cease to play.

Tears fall from little eyes which will never begin

To understand why they won’t see Mother or Father again.

Oh War, Oh War, how sad to say,

You take life’s one great love in your disarray.

No more in this life their cherished face to see,

The darkness of that hour bends the knee.

Oh War, Oh War, how sad to say,

Stray bullets that wind and find whatever target they may,

While turning and winding, an innocent victim take,

And those deadly spheres leave two in their wake.

 Oh War, Oh War, how sad to say,

Hearts of the courageous break as those shells betray.

Memories must be carried by those who are brave,

Of necessary deeds which make their souls rave.

Oh War, Oh War how sad to say,

Sometimes the best return with wounds from the fray.

They leave strong when first they depart,

Then come home and a new life they must start.

Oh War, Oh War, how sad to say,

Always again the ruthless will follow the same way.

Once more the call will go out

For those who know what warmongers are about.

Oh War, oh War, how sad to say,

The price of freedom is never stayed.

Pruning hooks and plows must be beat,

Into weapons your dread disease to defeat.

Oh War, oh War, how sad to say,

With words and pleadings greedy men will not be swayed.

Yet the promise will one day be made complete,

By One who to a cross was nailed by his hands and his feet.

Oh, War, Oh War, on that glad day,

The Son of God will come to lead the way.

The final victory He will take,

No more will sin sad hearts make.

Oh War, Oh War, you are going away,

Peace and happiness for all will come in your stay.

The lion and the lamb will together lie down,

And God’s praises we’ll shout, with a joyful sound.

By Debra LeCompte

Found a Great Organization in Kuwait

Thanks to one of the new acquaintances in my life who lives and  works in Kuwait, I have found what sounds like such a great organization, and my husband and I are anxious to learn more of it.  According to their website, "Since 1950, the Association of the United States Army has worked to support all aspects of national security while advancing the interests of America's Army and the men and women who serve.  AUSA is a private, non-profit educational organization that supports America's Army-Active, National Guard, Reserve, Civilians, Retirees, Government Civilians, Wounded Warriors, Veterans, and family members."  Sounds to me as though this organization is worth putting effort and support into.  I am sure there are unique needs for those serving in Kuwait, and something that Randy and I can contribute to those Soldiers working in Kuwait.

I plan to plant a seed of support here in the community where we now live as well, so that perhaps a connection can be made to provide support for our troops from some of the local school children for those serving with the Army in Kuwait.  Our children can come to know the culture and customs of another country, and what service in our military is like in Kuwait.  Education is one of the goals of AUSA, and there is tremendous opportunity for this to happen where we are now living.  The military and their families are always in need of the backing of all Americans.  Here is a link to look at the site and get an idea of their good work.

http://www.ausa-kuwait.com/home/ 

All of Austin County, Texas where we call home, has deep patriotic roots, however, Bellville, where we attend church, and our son graduated from High School has lost one person while he was serving in the Army, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and newly stationed in Kuwait.  His name was Spc. Zeferino Eusebio Colunga, and he was a tackle on the Bellville High School football team during his high school years, He joined the Army upon graduation.  While serving in Kuwait he became seriously ill with acute leukemia, and was first evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq on August 4, 2003, and then evacuated to Landstuhl Army Regional Medical  Center, and later to Homburg for further care, where he passed away on August 6, 2003.  It was a very difficult thing for the family to lose their loved one, not in battle, but to disease as he served in Kuwait.

As I have said, our hometown is patriotic, and on this Saturday, Zeferion will be remembered once again in a public ceremony honoring our fallen son, his service, and the sacrifice of his family.  He died within a week of arriving in Kuwait while assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment, Fort Polk, LA.  There is a connection of the heart of our home town with those serving in the United States Army in Kuwait.  We hope to bring that connection with us as we move to Kuwait.
 

I Wonder if I Will Be Able To Raise Roses?

I love to garden!  

Researching what I will be able to grow in Kuwait isn't going well... 

Can't find much information.

These are roses I grew at Soldier's Heart Ranch, and then photographed.

They are among my favorite photos I have ever made.

Now Where Will We Live?

When Randy stopped in Kuwait on his way home in October, he was able to view the apartment where we had the choice to live, but not the home.  I have not seen any pictures of the home, but Randy sent pictures of the apartment.  Based on what I see in the pictures, we will have such a beautiful home in Kuwait!  What do you think?

Of course I am a person who loves color

I certainly can work with the Ethan Allen furniture style which the State Department provides!

I'm thinking through what of my kitchen decor I will want to take.

Now this bathroom is just waiting for the right colors!  The beginning palette has colors from the beach,
that will reflect this apartment's view of the Persian Gulf!

The Heart of an Infantryman Is the Same In Any Language

Poetry continued to pour from my heart about the war as I observed its faces and head its stories while my husband served in the United States Army in Afghanistan after his deployment in 2009. I have really tried to discipline myself to make my own record of the war as I observed it, and to  share that record.  I wrote one poem inspired by my husband telling me of observing Afghanistan men doing basic training after joining the Afghan National Army. I have made friends with some young people from Afghanistan, and I have been privileged to know of Afghanistan and her people through their eyes. We have discussed many issues, and I respect and admire these people, and have somewhat of an understanding of the personal sacrifice and risk it takes for them to raise up their country from the tyranny which has long haunted their land. I do not know that I could put myself and my family at the risk of death to help do the same were it my country. With the discontent toward the war on the part of many of the American people, it would trouble me that I might find myself left holding the bag, without the resources needed to complete the liberation of my country. That they do step out, bringing such risk to their lives, criticism from some of their own countrymen, and from people all around the world, who doubt their true motivations, strikes me as uncommon moral courage. 

So I related the thought process which my husband went through as he observed these strong and proud men at attention before their instructor, when he realized some of them were in sandals, and some even had bare feet. As a Soldier my husband was stunned at the courage their committment represented. You will also get the feel of what the heart is like of a dedicated, died in the wool, ever loyal, honor graduate of West Point and the Army War College, who is a colonel serving his last days of a 30 year career in Afghanistan and Iraq. You will note too how much I love and admire him as well as the people of Afghanistan.  Those Soldiers of the Afghan Army did receive boots.

Bare and Sandaled Feet

He strode purposely from his office, but stopped to stare at their bare and sandaled feet.

Aftghan Soldier in training, at attention in perfect military bearing, his gaze their eyes did not meet. 

How could they run, how could they make a stand?

Were their feet not cut by the rocks, burned in the hot sand?

He continued his powerful stride but now he detoured to command.

His questions were met with assurance that boots had been ordered, plenty to meet the demand.

He returned to his work, where he labored far into the night,
Then made his way to his quarters, laid down, and turned out the light.

Soon thoughts of work faded, and were replaced by scenes of the blessings of his life.
He thought of friends, family, his beloved home, and his strong and adoring wife.

The beats of his heart slowed, and in his mind appeared The Long Gray Line in motion.
Familiar feelings rose, and as each night, again he vowed his "last true measure of devotion"

As sleep stole over him a smile was on his face, at the memory of the strength of the bare and sandaled feet,
And his mind saw visions of a firestorm of courage and valor, which soon the enemy would meet.

Written by Debra LeCompte, November 6, 2010
Dedicated to the love of my life, Colonel Randy LeCompte, and his infantryman's heart,
West Point, and The Long Gray Line,
The Soldiers of The Afghan National Army, and 
The Kabul Milli Boot Factory, Kabul, Afghanistan

                                                        The Kabul Milli Boot Factory, Kabul, Afghanistan