'Welcome home, mommy' 'Thank you for your service'

The combat logistics advisor had been stationed at Camp Phoenix near Kabul, Afghanistan, for one year. She returned via her U.S. station at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, from where she was able to speak with The Journal prior to Thursday’s flight into International Falls.

“I can’t wait to see their little faces, and let them know mommy’s home not just for two weeks — to be a family again,” she said, with excitement of seeing her three young daughters obvious in her voice.

Walkup said her background with the military is in transportation. While in Afghanistan, she worked as part of a joint task force with the U.S. Army that helped train the Afghan National Army. They also did security detail, such as escorting NATO weapons while in transit.

She is part of a team that advises the U.S. Army how to do missions safer and more efficiently, she said. Her team was made up of a close-knit “family” of about 20 men and women.

While not the same as her family in Minnesota, she said the men and women in uniform grow close while together overseas.

“It was hard to say goodbye to the team,” she said, adding that they are “really amazing people.

“The Afghans are really amazing people themselves,” Walkup added, speaking of the local civilians and Afghan military trainees that she met over the course of the year.

While Walkup was on duty, her parents, Lisa and Ron Conat of International Falls, cared for her three children.

“It’s pretty challenging at times, I didn’t think I’d be raising kids again,” Lisa Conat said.

But, she said, they were the only family available to watch the three girls: 6-year-old Isabella, 4-year-old Lola and 2-year-old Sylvia while Walkup was in the war-torn country.

Walkup and her daughters will be moving in October to Germany, where she will be stationed with the military for three years.

“I missed them like crazy,” Walkup said of her daughters, but noted that “lines of communication were very open” and she was able to call home often. She said that video chat online was slow, but provided a few chances for her to talk face-to-face with her family. In that year, she returned to see her children for two weeks at Christmas.

“The support of my family makes it possible for me to do what I do. I have an amazing support system behind me,” Walkup said.

Walkup joined the U.S. Air Force shortly after graduating from Falls High School, she said. Two of her brothers have also served in the military, including brother Zachary Conat who is serving in the Air Force. Walkup said she saw her brother in Afghanistan while she was there. She called that experience bittersweet because it was good to see him, but reminded her of the family she was missing at home.

Walkup’s husband, Thomas Walkup, was killed in 2003 in a helicopter crash while serving in Afghanistan. Her children’s father is also serving in the military.

“I liked the idea of patriotism, of serving my country,” Walkup said. She noted that she doesn’t remember what pointed her in the direction of the military in high school, but her decision caught on with two of her younger brothers.

Walkup said she has about eight more years to finish her military career, and didn’t think she’d seen the last of combat zones. The military has also given her the chance to get college credits, both through military training and taking community college classes while abroad. She said she did four courses while she was in Afghanistan, and needs only two more to complete her program in logistics. “It’s easier to do classes in a combat zone than with the girls around,” Walkup joked.

Patriot Guard Riders

About a half-dozen local men and women gathered in leather “biker” vests and lined the entry to the Falls International Airport just past the security point Thursday afternoon. Each of these Patriot Guard Riders held a large American flag and greeted Walkup with thanks and praise. It was a moving tribute for the family, and a fitting welcome for the tech sergeant.

“Our mission is to honor our vets, show them respect, and give them the dignity they deserve,” said Brian Briggs.

“(We want to) welcome her back, say ‘Thank you for your service,’” Briggs said of Walkup’s gathering.

Briggs, who stood flag in hand with fellow Patriot Guard members, said that the welcome gatherings are a much lighter affair than the other type of events the PGR attends, referring to funerals of military men and women.

The Patriot Guard is a volunteer organization that anyone can join regardless of prior military experience, which attends homecomings and funerals at the family’s request. The group started in 2005 due to a planned protest for a military funeral in Oklahoma. The guard acted as a barrier between the protesters and the grieving family, and the action spurred a nationwide growth of similar-minded individuals.

Since 2005, the group has attended numerous funerals and welcome-home gatherings across the country. An online listing of events shows the dozens of upcoming events planned by PGR members, along with the person they are honoring. Some of these honored are veterans of previous wars, while others are young men and women killed in service.