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U.S. Military Academy was 'amazing experience'

07/13/2010

By Karina Vailes
13 July 2010
Alexandria Daily Town Talk
 
Kathryn and Donald Clayton swelled with pride when they saw their 23-year-old son, Brian J. Clayton, walk across the stage a few weeks ago to get his diploma from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
 
He is the first in his maternal and paternal family to serve in the military, Kathryn said Monday during an Alexandria ceremony in her son's honor hosted by U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-Quitman.
 
Brian is among those who beat the odds to successfully complete the rigorous academy. Out of 4,400 students, only about 1,000 make it to graduation, according to the school's website.
 
"It's an unbelievable pride," Kathryn said, prompting a nod from her husband as their son conversed with Alexander following the ceremony.
 
"It's the pride of knowing he would put his life on the line for the American values and the American dreams," she said.
 
Brian Clayton, a 2005 alumnus of Alexandria Senior High School, recently returned from West Point after earning a bachelor's degree in Human Factors Engineering.
 
"We just want to say thank you for accepting this position," Alexander said as he presented Brian with an American flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of the grad. "Thank you and good luck."
 
Alexander said Brian's leadership skills are what helped him excel at West Point.
 
Brian's tenure at the academy put him in the same learning environment experienced by military leaders such as George Patton, Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower.
"It's definitely awe-inspiring, to know that some of the greatest men in the country's history have come from there and to be able to walk in their footsteps ... it's an amazing experience I could've never gotten anywhere else," Brian said.
 
He said it was a tough and sometimes daunting experience -- particularly because he had no prior military training. He had attended Louisiana Tech where most of his academics were self-directed.
 
"It's a bit different in academics than regular colleges and high school. Also, the day-to-day life is pretty tough because it's pretty structured. You'll be up at 6 in the morning, and you'll be going pretty much all day," Brian said.
 
Looking back over the past four years, he said, he learned lessons that he can carry through life. Pursing one's dreams tirelessly until achievement is one of major lessons he learned while at the academy.
 
"To persevere through those tough times that is in every road of life, to get through those tough times and to keep your eye on the prize at the end, that dream," Brian said.
Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and will join Fort Knox's Armor School in Kentucky on Sunday. After that, he will join his unit in the 5th Brigade, Second Infantry Division in Fort Lewis, Wash.
 
"I'm looking forward to it. I am excited," Brian said.