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Along about this time—June 1968 Kay gave birth to our littlest Marine—Clay Asbury ( William Clayton Asbury Jr. ) who would join his big sister Kimberly as the future of the Asbury Family. Clay was a chubby, happy little guy with platinum blond hair and an infectious smile. Kimmie took to him right away and became a little momma —helping Kay and me with our parenting chores—she was only three! Both children would grow into beautiful, well balanced citizens who made me and Kay happy and proud!
While Kay was in the hospital giving birth to Clay —Jun. 28—I received word that something tragic had occurred.
I had to make a ‘casualty call’ on a family Kay and I knew personally from our Church. Their Son had enlisted a few months earlier at the Richmond Recruiting Center . I received the notification that he had been killed in Viet Nam. I agonized over this notification—I considered letting the officer in charge of the local Marine Reserve center do it but decided that it was my responsibility. I notified our Pastor—whom I knew—he met me at the church and drove over to the family’s home a few blocks away.—We rang the doorbell and the Marine’s Mother answered the door—she knew me and she knew the Pastor —right away she knew why we were there—she collapsed in our arms and we managed to bring her into the living room—soon we had contacted the Father and he came and helped console his wife while fighting thru his own heartbreak—other family members and friends soon came to the home. The entire family of this young, fallen Marine treated us graciously —were appreciative that it was indeed me that had broken the news and not some stranger which caused me to reflect on
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