Buzz Walton

[faulknerwn 38]

Apparently Buzz was killed by a roadside bomb this weekend in Afghanistan. http://wrow.com/pages/pages.php?page=28

This sucks. He was such a great guy - friendly and helpful and just a great guy...

[Bolas 5]

I'm pretty sure he was one of the "ringers" when I got my 4-stack. Great guy.

[Madison 0]

I write this with a very heavy heart.
Jim and I just talked to him 2 days ago by e-mail. He was working on getting a newbie a canopy for us.
Typical, helpful, thoughtful, cheery Buz.

We woke up this morning to this awful news, and it's been an extremely hard day.

Buz was an extraordinary individual, and we all really wanted him to make it back.

This is a devastating blow to the CRW community.

I'm attaching photos of Buz from Jumptown July 2007. If anyone would like them sent full res. I will do that very willingly.

I'm so sorry to everyone that knew him. He loved his CRW family, and was so proud of you guys for getting the hundred-way.
I especially feel for his wife, whom he loved so very, very much.

Blue Skies Forever Buz,
You're with a great group up there. We'll drink some beer, and definitely do some CRW for you.
Love,
April & Jim
This really hurts

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

[TheMonkey 0]

he was one of the great ones

---------------------
Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience!

[flashpipe 1]

Such a great guy! What a loss to CRW, the skydiving community and humanity in general.

Please let us know where we can send condolences...

Blue skies forever Buzz...

[BillyVance 34]

A great loss indeed.

No, sadly I never met him, but I'll remember his name when I fiddle with my Toadsucker coin.

My condolences to his wife and the rest of this great CRW family that knew him well.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[bkdice 0]

this is such sad news.... buz really was an all around nice guy.

jonathan was saying last night, as we described buz to a friend of ours, how he knew every joke out there, without fail.

he will be sadly missed by us and all the old SDV regulars.

blue skies...

[chuckbrown 0]

Buzz was a great guy. When he was working deep in some secret bunker in the Pentagon, he would record South Park episodes & show them to his men/women during lunch to keep them laughing. He was my team captain for a CRW team at the 2006 Nationals. Because of his love of Matt Parker & Trey Stone, during our practices I would call him "Dear Leader," after the Kim Jong Il character in Team America. The first time I used that phrase he just looked at me for a second & then busted out laughing.

[DJL 235]

Great sense of humor for someone in such serious roles. Let's get some of the pictures from nationals posted. I'll see what I have.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

So glad I had the opportunity to meet Buzz @ one of the CRW camps last year @ Jumptown during the July 4/Q Memorial Boogie. What a great guy! always smiling and had great stories to share about his experiences in the military. It was so obvious what an awesome Leader he was in his role in the military as well as to the CRW Community.

I'm so shocked and saddened by this news. It's a tremendous loss for everyone.

Sending comforting thoughts to all of his friends and family.

_________________________________________

[rpersi 0]

He was one of the good ones. I will miss him.

[chuckbrown 0]

Here's a pic of the 8 way team at 2006 Nationals. Buz is the shiny head in the middle.

[froglady 0]

Services for Buz (LTC Walton) will be conducted @ 0845 am on 10 July 2008 at Memorial Chapel, Arlington National Cemetary.



Address for ANC is:



214 McNair Rd
Arlington, VA 22211
(703) 607-8000

[leapdog 0]

I usually have some words for a fallen service member. I have talked with enough families in my dress blues about thier son, or father, after a flag has been presented grave side. This time I have no idea what to say.

When I first met Buz he said "So, you're the Marine I have heard about. Yea, I know, I have the rank and you have he experience." He was a Lieutenant Colonel and he had a hell of a sense of humor.

Right away after that, I knew he was someone I wanted to get to know so I could be a better person. I didn't get to know him as well as I liked.

From the little I learned of him, he was cut out for the life he made for himself and he was a selfless person. It is my guess that he wasn't satisfied until he couldn't give anymore to help for someone.

I am certainly priviledged to have met him.

His services are the day I travel home from abroad but I heard that there is a CRW party at Cross keys. I plan to be there.

Gunnery Sergeant of Marines
"I would like it if I were challenged mentally at my job and not feel like I'm mentally challenged." - Co-worker

[boinky 0]

A week later and I'm still in shock.

Buz was at my very first CRW camp. He did so much to help me. I know that I didn't know him as well as many others, but what time I did spend in his company made me realize that he was a great guy who always had a smile and a helping hand.

My heart goes out to his family and wife.

Nina

Are we called "DAWGs" because we stick our noses up people's butts? (RIP Buzz)
Yep, you're a postwhore-billyvance

[ScottGray 0]

I read of Buzz's passing last night on the SDV chat list. VERY sad news indeed.

He and I spoke a few times about our time in the service.

He was a professional with a super big heart.

He will be more than missed !!

WSI-5 / PFI-51 / EGI-112 / S-Fly
The Brothers Gray Wing Suit Academy
Contact us for first flight and basic flocking courses at your DZ or boogie.
www.thebrothersgray.com

[TheMonkey 0]

to get a feeling for who Buz was, all you need to do is read his sister Kyle's quote below and take a look at the attached picture....it says it all


Washington Post June 26, 2008

Soldier Was Dedicated to Service
Arlington Resident Stood Up For Underdogs, Family Said
By James Hohmann
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 26, 2008; Page B03

Lt. Col. James J. Walton and his wife, Sarah, would have celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary today.

But Walton, 41, who grew up in Rockville and had been living in Arlington County, died Saturday in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan after his vehicle struck a roadside bomb and his convoy came under fire, the Army said.

Word came as Walton's parents, four siblings and eight nieces and nephews were assembling at a Delaware beach for an annual family retreat.

"What everyone remembers about Jim is, he was larger than life," said his sister Diane Jewell, 34. "He's exactly what you'd think of when you think of a hero."

He left goodbye letters for his parents, wife, in-laws and siblings. Yesterday, the family was planning to mail notes he wrote for some of his buddies.

The Army said Walton's unit, part of the 1st Infantry Division, had been training and mentoring Afghan soldiers.

People who knew him said he believed passionately in the military's mission and the work he was doing overseas. In May, he wrote two e-mails to a New York talk radio station, one of which said that "the enemy" was "acting up" with the end of the poppy-harvesting season.

Walton knew in fourth grade that he wanted a career as a soldier, Jewell said. At St. John's College High School in the District, Walton was elected the equivalent of student body president, she said. In May 1989, after graduating from West Point, he entered the Army. Since getting married, he had served a tour in Iraq and was assigned to the Pentagon.

In the early 1980s, Walton was an altar boy for Monsignor John F. Myslinski, now the pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Rockville. Myslinski said the family reminded him -- and not just in name -- of the fictional characters on "The Waltons," the 1970s TV show.

"They were blond, wholesome . . . and close-knit," he said.

The two men stayed in touch. The pastor blessed Walton's wedding ring and gave him a finger rosary before he left. In one of their last conversations, Walton told Myslinski he wanted to be active in the parish when he returned. Instead, Myslinski will preside over Walton's funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

There wasn't a sport Walton couldn't excel at, his family said, including springboard diving, kayaking and rock climbing. For recreation, he went for long bike rides and parachuted with friends. In 2005, he was on a team of 85 skydivers that claimed a world record for holding together an estimated 276-foot-tall formation above Florida.

"To say you could always take him at his word was an understatement," said Frank Matrone, the best man at his wedding and a participant in that jump. "I never saw him make a bad decision. He was an all-around great guy."

Walton and his wife nurtured abused animals, including an adopted dog, Hannibal.

"Jimmy was a champion for the underdog," said sister Kyle Cottrell, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel. "He had a soft spot in his heart for people who couldn't help themselves."

Kenneth Holmberg, who lives two doors down from Walton's townhouse, remembered when a neighbor locked herself out. Walton grabbed a long ladder, climbed in through her bathroom window and came out the front door with the woman's keys in hand, he said.

"We all prayed for him when he was gone," Holmberg said. "Sometimes prayers aren't enough."

[butterflysb 0]

I just found out! I am just so sad. Does any one have his wife's contact info? I would like to send my condolences. Buz was an amazing guy and he will be greatly missed.

[jaitken 0]

FYI, since I didn't see it here already, from Buz's obituary:

His family suggests that in lieu of flowers donations may be made to a memorial fund at the Fisher House or to Best Friends Animal Society to benefit abused animals.

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
--Mario Andretti

[selbbub78 0]

It's taken me a while to post. The shock is just too much to absorb. I'm still having trouble believing that he's gone. He's one of the many people that helped me out so much when it came to CRW. I didn't realize what a fantastic flier he was, until we started doing some CRW together. He was always willing to help me out, and was nothing but extremely great with helping me fly my best. I'm going to miss seeing him at all our CRW functions!

Buz, fly high, dock hard, we all love ya and miss ya here!

Black CReW Skies,
bubbles

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[boinky 0]

Thinking of you today Buz. I hope life on the other side is as good as you deserve.

Nina

Are we called "DAWGs" because we stick our noses up people's butts? (RIP Buzz)
Yep, you're a postwhore-billyvance