Patrick Henry School

Patrick Henry School has their 4th graders do a program and salute to Veterans every year.  We have attended for about 4 years.  This year's theme was the Real Meaning of Memorial Day" (and it wasn't just another 3 day weekend or an excuse for teachers to get away from students!)

They sang songs, then invited all the Veterans in the audience to come forward, introduce themselves and when and where they served.  One even joked that we the tax-payers had sent him around the world.  There were about 40-50 Vets in attendance.

We had several quilt requests to fill that evening including: Gloria S. who served in the Navy in Korea and her daughter Veronica who was in the Air Force.

Father Jim C. Sr served in WWII in the Army Air Corps and his son Jim C. Jr who served in the Army in Vietnam.

Vance W. served in the sub force of the Navy in Afghanistan.

A short Mystery Quilt

Ever wanted to jump in and make a Quilt of Valor? 

Leann W over at http://persimmonquilts.com/  Has designed a bunch of great mysteries.

The current one has just started and its not to late to jump in.... 

It is a 4 part mystery and the first clue can be found here:

http://persimmonquilts.com/Mystery30/Homepage.html

Here is your chance !! JUMP in!!!  And if you do participate would you think about sending us some photos of your tops - either finished - or in progress so that I can post them here?

My email can be found under the authors column at the right of this page ....

A “Quilt of Valor” Home Coming celebration

On Saturday, March 9th 2013, we Honored the men and women of FSMT Kuwait of Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, as they returned HOME!

A special Thank you to all of you that made a “Quilt of Valor” for this Home Coming Celebration. Enjoy the pictures... It was a grand celebration! Just look at those smiles!

Debbie, Sue, Lynda and Myrtle
Montavilla Quilts of Valor Coordinators

Nebraska QOV Presentation

I had the privilege of presenting a QOV to Dale T, who served as a pilot in both WWII and Korea. 

 We have known Dale for many years, and while I could write a zillion stories about him and his service to our country, suffice to say: he is truly a member of the "greatest generation."

The QOV given to him was made by an 11-year old 4-H member from Jefferson County, Nebraska. She used both patriotic and Nebraska (Husker) fabric in the quilt, so it was perfect to give to Dale who is both a native Nebraskan and a University of Nebraska alum. 

And, little did we know when we selected the QOV for him, he also has family from Jefferson County!

Respectfully submitted,
Sara

--
Sara Kenny
Central Midwest Region Coordinator (NE, IA, KS)
Quilts of Valor Foundation

SO CAL QOV

We had a special visitor (well, several) at our sew day.

Kenny B. is a Marine who served in the early part of Iraq and is now disabled due to PTSD.  He brought his 100# service dog, A., and his brother from Ohio to work on his foundation, www.battle-buddy.org.

They were also doing a movie in our locale, and he was interviewed by the LA Times.  Still waiting to see the article. He had heard about our group  from one of the other Community Celebrities on the cruise last Sept.

Since he works with dogs, and we just had a panel given to us, Lori made it into a quilt for him.  The back is fleece with dog bones on it and our quilter, Thom Knight, not only wrote thank you across the top, but did dog bones in the quilting!  And, Helga made A. a stuffed bone toy, too.

He told us about the stigma of having 'issues' while being deployed.  He was actually scheduled to go back to Iraq with a friend, and he didn't.  The vehicle his friend was in was blown up and everyone was killed.

  He told us how important his dog is to him and his family, but it cost him $15,000 to get him.  He originally thought the big dog would keep people away, but it is just the opposite.  He has now learned to stop and visit with strangers rather than have his guard up.  A. helps him overcome the after-effects of his nightmares and gives him peace of mind to be able to sleep at night.

  He has a wife and two kids age 5 & 6. His wife is now suffering from secondary PTSD.  His foundation will help more Veterans get the service dogs they need and also help them find the services to help them get back into civilization..


submitted by
Barbara Winkler
SoCal Quilts of Valor

A Thank You Recieved

"Dear Dr. L,

My name is Laura B. I live in Norco, CA.
I wanted to tell you a little about the person that received your beautiful "Quilt of Valor" that was pieced by Dolores Z. and quilted by you from May thru July 2012.

My daughter is MSgt Stephanie W,, USAF. She was deployed to Kandahar and Bagram Air Fields in Afghanistan last year. Stephanie is an Air Evacuation Tech.

I don't know if you are familiar with the job that AET's do in the Air Force but in simple terms she is compared to a flight medic. She cares for injured soldiers and sometimes civilians on large aircraft such as C-17's that have been configured for medical transport to larger hospitals such as Ramstein Germany.

This last deployment her duties included unloading patients from the helicopters and ground transporting them to the hospitals on the air bases that I mentioned previously. This is where she came across your beautiful quilt.

Looking for something to keep her warm she found something so special that it just felt like a hug from home. You see my grandmother was a quilter. She made a quilt for every grandchild and great grandchild that was born before she passed away. Stephanie was 4 years old when her great grandmother passed away but she grew up sleeping under that quilt on her bed.

Quilts are cherished in our family because we fully understand the amount of time, patience, skill and love that is invested in the finished product.

I wanted you and Ms. Z. to know the amount of comfort your precious donation brought my daughter. She is home safe for now and when she shared this precious gift from you I just had to write to you and let you know how much she truly appreciated your kindness, generosity and the hug that enveloped her when she needed it most.

I am forever grateful that my daughter came home safe and for wonderful people like you that support our troops. In places like Afghanistan our young warriors see the worst of what mankind is capable of and a hug from home is always appreciated.

Thank you so very much and if possible please share my note with Ms. Z., her address or email address as I was unable to locate her.

Respectfully,
Laura B."