Terry in the ADK

I just finished a few more hours of quilting on a Quilt of Valor. My friend, who happens to be my DIL’s mother, made Two for family members. She asked me to quilt them for which she would pay me. Of course I refused payment and said I would be honored to do them. One was for her husband an Army Vet and the other for a great nephew now serving in the Air Force. As I am quilting, I find myself praying for these men and the men and women who are now in harms way defending freedom around the world. What an honor it is to quilt these quilts. Just thought I’d share another reason I love to quilt!

c joyce

Thank you for doing this for Veterans and a very heartfelt thank you for your prayers for our military. I am a veteran and when I served, veterans were not welcomed home and honored as they are now. I don't want any accolades. My husband, also a veteran, and I will not sign up for the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. as we both were not "boots on the ground". He was a pilot (no combat flights) and I was a nurse - we were not directly in harms way and feel that there are veterans far more deserving to receive these trips.
If you have veterans in your family, please take the time to just say "Thank You", it will mean a great deal to them.

Lena1952

Thank you and your friend for making and quilting a QOV. Please don't forget to add the names of those who have received a QOV to the website. It was an honor to be the Delaware QOV state coordinator for 18 years. Although I have stepped down as coordinator, I am still making QOVs.

Quiltwoman44

I support anyone who helps Quilts of Valor. I had a quilter come to my house recently and take many quilt kits I'd purchased and never used. And one quilt top i made years ago that worked great for a veteran. plus fabrics galore. I kept her number so if i find any other items I can donate, i can call her. And my son is to call her when I've left this earth or can no longer sew. She and other quilters can come and clean out my sewing room. I have many quilts they can also have. My family doesn't like quilts. That is a shame but someone somewhere will appreciate them. We all need a warm "hug" once in awhile.
Keep up the good work. There will always be a need.

MaryKa

Sounds like a Nam Vet. My brother served in Nam 3 years. Only my parents, myself, my fiance, his partner and my sisters were there to welcome him home. We were 1 of only 3 families that even "bothered" to go to the ship's point of entry. The Navy Chaplin escorted us to the pier. No other Marine nor Navy families were there. No big deal like they show on web/tv now.

WELCOME HOME and THANK YOU for your protection of our USA. Prayers always go up for our Military and 1st Responders.

cathyvv

MaryKa,

None of my family was able to be at the pier when my brother came home from Viet Nam, although I think his wife was. That doesn't mean we weren't supportive of his service. We were. We are.

MaryKa

Cathyvv
I'm not talking about those who could not get to the pier and I'm sorry that it came across to you (and possibly others) that was what I was implying.

I'm talking about those that just did not bother to go. We had to travel 2 hours and my family had to travel 2-1/2 days to get there. I'm talking about those that lived there and just did not show up. Many could have come but just did not bother.

I also understand that the families of those that had loved ones that had to be carried off on the shoulders of their friends did not want to see that. Thankfully my brother was not one of those. He returned 3 times to the ship to help carry off his Commanding Officer, his best friend and a kid that had just arrived in Nam 3 days earlier.

I’m talking about the ones that lived there and were not working or worked at the base and did not bother. I’m talking about the ones that had their own vehicles and did not bother. I’m talking about the ones that just did not bother for no real reason.

Again, I’m sorry it came across wrong. And I always have and always will say thank you to any person that serves to protect this country. I will always pray for those that are our first responders--police, fire, military and ambulance crews. I have family in each area.

Quiltwoman44

I love all veterans. Its hard protecting a Country. the soldiers do not win or lose wars, the people in charge of all of them do that. Never could understand anyone booing soldiers coming back. Without them -where would we all be now?
So keep on making quilts and visiting them. They all need our support.

petthefabric

MaryKa. I remember Viet Nam. My brother, fiancé, cousin, school mates, etc. were in that first draft for that greedy “conflict”. There was no humanitarian reason for USA to be involved. But the Greatest Generation, sent their our sons to be slaughtered in that “conflict”. My generation was highly criticized for demonstrating against to that “conflict”. And they weren’t even WAR veterans. Returning, the nation rejected the veterans, rarely did people great them. They certainly weren’t heroes. To this day, people I’ve asked won’t talk about it. ‘PTSD’ hadn’t been defined, but many sons were mentally destroyed and were rejected from any mental care. Viet Nam was a disgrace that still is swept under the rug, thanks to you, the greedy Greatest Generation”.

Our hometown created a highway billboard to “The Greatest Generation” when my brave friends and peers were dead, maimed, prisoners, POW/MIA, mental wrecks and recluses with poor to no assistance from Good Ole Sam because of that GREEDY “conflict”.

MaryKa

My brother went into the Marines 30 days after graduating from High School and received his first 30-day pass. The recruiter told him to spend extra time with his family as he needed to give us that memory in case... In that 30 days Momma made him 3 quilts and that was the first time I ever saw quilts that were quilted on a machine. He packed all three in his carry-on bag. He foled and then rolled them. All 3 fit. His Commanding Officer at that time told him to keep them hidden so they would always be safe. He found out that his request to go to Nam was accepted and he sent the quilts to Momma asking her to keep them until he returned as he was going to a jungle and would not need them there. She put those quilts in his room -- one on his bed and the other 2 in his chair.

We all waited at the door to see if he had written even just a post card that said "I'm fine." One came every Monday. Momma posted it on the mirror and took the previous one dow to put in the desk.

Momma then started working on quilts for his company members. When that man was due to come home we received a phone call from the chaplin as to where to send the quilt. Too often it was to the parents or a sibling. Momma made over 300 quilts in those 3 years he was in Nam. When he came home Momma whispered in his ear the quilts were in his room and Daddy put a surprise in there too. Daddy had transferred his train set to his bedroom in our new home. Daddy took each peice and drew on paper the square and numbered it to the exact spot it needed to be replaced to. Then he packed it in the boxes.

Thoes that do these type of quilts are very special to me.