November 11, 2004
Veteran's Day

Another night of air evac wounded soldiers came in from Landstuhl last night to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. We wait outside in the cold for them to take them to the ICU where I work as an Army Critical Care Nurse. In the next few months with the new offensive happening we know we'll get more later on, but for now, we take care of what we have and do what we have to do. The routine of getting them up to us has unfortunately become well organized due to plenty of practice. Sometimes I wonder if anyone in the world outside is aware of what goes on. It's been a long time that this has been going on and I wonder if they forget since they don't see what I see everyday. One of the good things that I can always count on is seeing their quilts when they come out off the makeshift ambulance. It helps me to remember that people have not forgotten these guys. Even though they may be too sick/unresponsive/sedated to be responsible for their personal gear and keep themselves warm, they always come with a quilt. I speak for all the nurses I work with and also for the patient who can't be grateful at the time and for the families whose main concern is their loved one.... WE LOVE THOSE QUILTS AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THEM!!! It makes my day to know that, even though the war on terror continues and this Veteran's day makes the second one at war, people still remember and care for these soldiers. They are not forgotten. These quilts are all so beautiful and all so unique. We look forward to admiring them and use them to our advantage. We place them over our patients when the families first come. They are so beautiful and I believe they help the families to adjust to seeing their injured loved one, they help make the patient look good!! When the pt is hot or has a fever, we put the quilts over the footrest and it brightens the place a bit. Later when the patients are better, the family and soldiers fawn over the blankets and always feel honored and pleased to own them. They become prized possessions. We just wanted to say: WE THANK YOU!!! Thank you for not forgetting; Thank you for your time and beautiful work. And please continue to do what you do. You are making a difference!!! Please let all your quilters around the country that we are all grateful.

Thank You!!

S.A., MAJ
US Army Nurse Corps
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
MICU

On January 10, 2010, we had the honor of giving QOVs to 63 Illinois National Guard Troops who returned last year after a year in Afghanistan, some with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th deployments.    The 106th Calvary 2nd Squadron, also known as the Aurora based Charlie Troop, were welcomed home with a Freedom Salute Ceremony.    The celebration included speakers and presentation of medals. At the end of the ceremony, we took pictures as they took their quilts out of the pillowcases and opened the quilts to share with their families. Their smiles were our “thank you’s!!”  The labels on the quilts read “Northern Illinois QuiltsofValor.” We have provided quilts for the Wounded Soldier Fund, Hines Hospital and Great Lakes Returning Warrior Workshop.

We meet the first Tuesday of every month at Prairie Shop Quilts, Batavia, IL. We have been meeting for about six months now and finding a sew-in at home is just as fun!

Rita Pennington Illinois

From CDR Jones - Doctor at the Joint Hospital in Afghanistan
I am regularly receiving quilts from all over the country.    Please express our thanks to your team of dedicated folks. This has been wonderful. CDR Russell has been involved in the delivery of the quilts to our wounded soldiers. I spoke with her last week and she said that it is going very well and that the troops are very affected by the receipt of such a thoughtful gift. I’ll let CDR Russell chime in with any other thoughts she might have.    I think we are getting just the right amount of quilts.    So from our end, things seem to be working very well. I think it would be great if we can continue this effort past our time and turn it over to the folks who will follow us in March.
CDR Jones

I wanted to thank the Quilts of Valor Foundation in Temecula for the fantastic quilts they made for my hus- band and me.    We absolutely love them, and since we live in chilly Colorado, they are put to good use daily! Please extend our thanks to others who helped make our quilts if possible. I found your email address on the Quilts of Valor site. If you have any contact information where I could send another email or letter of thanks, I would appreciate it.

Thank you, J &RC

I am R’s wife C.  I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your kindness to my husband. We are both very grateful to know that there are people who care about what our service men and women are enduring day after day as this war rages on.  

Thank you again so much.

God bless you and your family.

The R’s.
 

This weekend I was able to gather together all my notes and information from the past year. It seemed like a “light” year, working around Nancy’s and I’s kids’ weddings, but with so many of you taking ‘homework’ and with your ongoing dedication to this noble cause, we were able to “warm” the hearts of 91 service members!!! Yes, we managed to complete and send out 91 quilts during 2008, thus making our grand total 268 quilts. Thank you all so very much, and it doesn’t matter whether you think your contribution is large or small, because it all comes down to doing “something” so that our Service men and women know someone cares. There are a few behind the scenes people I would like to acknowledge; their support has been invaluable: Sharon, Sue, Caroline and Nancy who help with all the cutting and sewing involved in making the sewing kits Nancy, who has made the bindings for just about all of those 268 quilts David and Willy, who have washed and ironed ‘hundreds’ of yards fabric Fran and Murielle, who took on the enormous task of bringing our photo albums up to date by organizing and documenting 100+ pictures Peter and Vicki, who update our web site and try to keep it current www.blert.net/qov check it out! Denis, who has made countless delicious meals and provides so much behinds the scenes support And lastly Debbie, who donated 500+ bolts of fabric that will keep us making quilts for a long time! We’ll be getting together for our first sewing day of 2009 on Saturday, January 24th. I’m hoping we can sneak this in between the many storms we have been having, but will have a ‘snow date’ of the 25th. Please let me know if you are coming, it helps with set up and food to have some vague idea of how many people. The chef hasn’t said much about the dinner menu, but I think something from South of the Border would help in this cold weather. Your spouses or SO’s are always welcome for dinner, we usually start winding down around 430pm. Thanks again! Marilyn Catherine I spent 24 years in the USN as a submariner. I also experienced the negative reaction of the early 70s towards service members. At one point we were ordered not to wear our uniforms off base. QOVs are the antithesis of the 70s. The QOV vocation is an unbelievable gift and patriotic act. I continue to be in awe at the wonder of how a bit of fabric, some batting, thread and a binding yields the essence of our pride in our service members, particularly during their time of need. Thanks for your leadership. If you every make your way to Connecticut, you are welcome to come to our home and see our QOV factory and possible enjoy one of my meals. I salute you and all the QOV members on behalf of all service members past and future. And I may be a bit biased but my wife is AWESOME!

 Thanks,

DF LCDR, USN retired

I just read the quote from a Viet Nam vet on the home page and it made me think about a conversation I had last year with a neighbor who also asked my why no one was doing this when "They" came home from Viet Nam? At that time our focus seemed to be on covering the visibly wounded, but since then the need has been recognized and now I remember that conversation and my heart is aching. I shall be visiting that man and taking my latest QOV with his name already in place. How could I have missed the need right under my nose? Don't get me wrong I am pleased to have shipped many QOV to those in need but I think I better start to look a lot closer to home and maybe some others do too.

 BB  

I was visiting with Catherine the other day via e-mail and she asked me to write up a little something about dedication and motivation….Hummm… I would have to give that one some thought.

This is the time of year that seems to take on a personality and a life of its own! This is the time we get so busy and stressed out because… There are Holiday pageants and programs to attend, shopping to do, decorations to hang, letters to write, cards and packages to mail, family to visit, places to go, people to see, parties, food, etc. etc. The list goes on and on.

Stop, take a deep breath! Remember the reason for this season. When all the happenings are over and all the stuff is put away…what we remember of the season (the whole year for that matter) is the way our life has been touched by those around us or by those we have reached out to.

I have been a war time quilter for just a little over a year now. I just completed QOV #67 and I hope to get a few more finished before the end of the year. (Ok, I saw you give that number a double take and I feel the need to tell you….yes I have a life. I work full time and have a family and a couple grand children and I do other community service work as well.) Making Quilts of Valor is my passion. Next to becoming a Grandma this is probably the most wonderful thing I have ever been a part of. It has touched my life in so many ways I hardly know where to begin. Each time I hear from a recipient of a quilt it just adds to the motivation to keep sewing and sewing. I have almost an obsession to spread the word and get others to sew as well. 

Sometimes as our life gets out of control and we get bogged down with our “doings” and “goings on” it is easy to forget that WAR is 24/7. Our men and women serving this nation don’t get to sit it out at Starbucks if the going gets ruff and they need a little escape. They are just there dealing with it. The stress must be exhausting. We have to remember not all the wounded are those with physical wounds some wounds are the emotional burdens. Not all wounds bleed but they all leave scars. Let’s take the time to remember them at this time of year. Let’s remember the sacrifice they are making to protect our country our freedom and our families.

Even though our plate is full so to speak lets remember to slip into our sewing rooms and stitch a little for the cause. Let’s engage strangers in conversation about our mission. Let’s take a little time to send some reminders to the members of our guilds and round robins. Lets make our mission a 24/7. We are still at war and we are still quilting.

I hope your lives will be touched with all the blessings of the Holiday Season and through the coming New Year.



Lori Reg Coordinator, Quilts of Valor Wenatchee, WA