Awarding Quilts of Valor

The mission of the Air Force Port Mortuary Affairs Operations is to provide dignity, honor and respect for the fallen and to provide care, service and support for their families.  We thank each and every one of these dedicated personnel of the Port Mortuary that render such honor to those who have defended our Country.

Recently, the Quilts of Valor Regional Coordinators for Region 9, Lenny T. and Laurel B., and their bi-monthly sew-a-block-day group were showcased in a video that appeared on the Pentagon Channel and on the website of the United States Air Force Port Mortuary Affairs Operations.

QOVF founder Catherine Roberts began the practice of awarding a QOV to Port Mortuary workers upon completion of their mortuary rotation and the Region 9 coordinators and their groups support that endeavor.  To quote Laurel B.:

            “Most but not all Port Mortuary workers have been deployed and have stood in harms way.  But each has earned their QOV by providing the final honor for their fellow service members.  Their care and devotion in this final act is demanding , exacting, and as stressful as being in harms way.  We have seen first hand the reactions of workers as they are notified of the pending arrival of the fallen and we have also heard from them how much the QOV means. It is our privilege to be able to honor each and every member of the Port Mortuary.”

Here is a link to the video as it appeared on the Pentagon Channel.

http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/Video.aspx?videoid=281699

National Medal of Honor Day

val•or [val-er]  noun
boldness or determination in facing great danger,

especially in battle; heroic courage; bravery: a medal for valor.



Original Navy Medal of Honor (1862)



There is a hierarchy of medals that can be awarded for valor.  At the peak is the National Medal of Honor.  For it to be awarded, the heroic action of the recipient must not only be notable but also “above and beyond the call of duty”.

Dragoon Mts were Cochise hid

Army Assistant Surgeon Bernard J D Irwin was the recipient of the first Medal of Honor issued for a heroic act* after he rescued 60 soldiers of an Army unit at Apache Pass in Arizona.  The infantrymen were trapped by Chiricahua Apaches under Cochise in February of 1861.  Irwin had volunteered to take command of troops and under harsh circumstances (including being attacked and defeating hostile Indians) he recovered stolen horses and cattle, reached the trapped column and helped break the siege to save the soldiers.

            * Other medals were issued prior to this one for distinguishing acts,

             but this was the first for an act of heroism.

 Read about another Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt 1^st Class Paul R. Smith, of Tampa, FL in an article by Deborah Sharp in USA Today.  Here are some paraphrased excerpts:

            During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Paul’s platoon was attacked

 by an overwhelming amount of enemy forces near the Baghdad airport.

  At great personal risk, Paul threw a grenade over a wall

 then jumped atop an armored vehicle and manned a

machine gun.  He was able to fire over 300 rounds, spraying
the attacking troops, stopping their forward progress.

  His actions saved at least 100 men before he was killed by enemy fire.

            Paul’s family was presented with his Medal of Honor

 at a White House ceremony.  Paul was cited for “…conspicuous gallantry …”

 that protected not only his troops, but also those at a nearby aid station.

To learn more about the history of the National Medal of Honor and see the various designs issued over the years by different branches of service, see this link to the National Medal of Honor Museum  of Military History in Chattanooga, TN:

http://www.mohm.org/recipient_pages/moh_recipient_history.html

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of this site is particularly interesting.  Check it out at:

http://www.mohm.org/recipient_pages/moh_recipient_faq.html

Remember:

“This nation will remain the land of the free only

 so long as it is the home of the brave. “

Elmer Davis – News reporter, author,
director of US Ofc of War Information in WWII

  

Recap of 03/15/13 Meeting

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OK – they might look a little spooky, but those are the big quilty hugs and kisses to our supporters that gave us  wonderful donations this month.

Our hearts were much gratified during this meeting when we received a large monetary donation to Quilts of Valor from Dee & David Finn of Highlands, NC and a matching donation from Maria and Michael Mattia from FL and NC.

We are sending you all our best hugs and kisses.  We think you will be pleased when you see the fabulous fabrics we will buy with your contributions and the quilts that will go to comfort many soldiers and military personnel touched by war.  You have our heartfelt thank you.

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It was another fun meeting and a little different this time.  We had some fabric donations – aren’t these perfect?!  Keep ‘em coming – you all have excellent taste in patriotic fabrics …

Then we received a few tops and quilts that volunteers had finished at home:

Debbie - American Top

American rows detail

Debbie - Nine Patches of Valor

Quilt made by Debbie - Finished by Suzanne

The tops were whisked off to the quilters and the quilts were quickly labeled (no grass growing under our feet here ...):



Hand sewing on labels

We completed some of our regular work, including preparing backings, sewing on bindings, making kits, cutting blocks, etc:

Matching pillowcase presentation packages
 with quilts and counting blocks for tops

Sewing bindings and borders

Making kits for volunteer sewing at home

Hand sewing and sewing bindings

Cutting fabric for kits

And it was time for lunch and a special demonstration from our Leader, Pat N., on a quick and easy Quilt-As-You-Go technique.  This QAYG process is suitable not only for making Quilts of Valor, but also for making everything from that “gotta make it quick” kid’s or baby gifts to table runners or table toppers.  Pat was well prepared with her serger and demo board that made learning the process easy for both the visual and tactile learners among us!

Pat (R) begins her presentation

Pat (R) giving details and Maria (L) with hands on



Pat's demo board with examples

Several wanted to try their hand at the serger:

We all were discussing our favorite techniques:

And even Elizabeth from the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop (where we meet) came in to see what was up.  Elizabeth is the Queen of the Serger Club, also held there, and she had a few hints for us on how to care for and use your serger.  Thank you, Elizabeth!

And last – we had a Show and Tell.  Pat received a quilt that was hand appliquéd and hand quilted, but not quite completed before its owner passed away.  She is in the process of completing it for the family and let us see this fabulous work of art.  Just a little inspiration for all of you quilters out there that don’t have enough on your Bucket List already!

What a beauty!

Block Detail

 Next meeting:

Friday, April 19^th, from 10 – 2:00

Hope to see YOU there!

National Quilting Day

Today has been designated as National Quilting Day!

Have you been considering making a Quilt of Valor to celebrate quilting?

We have found two wonderful free patterns for you to consider.  The first is A Nine-Patch Stars and Stripes quilt that was designed by Kathy Lichtendahl especially for National Quilting Day:

You can find the free pattern (and another colorway) on the National Quilting Association’s website at: http://nqaquilts.org/free-projects/

And if you like stars, you’re going to love this design that uses 10 inch blocks, goes together quickly and finishes at 80x80:

This quilt called “Cayuga” was designed by Michele Scott and the pattern can be found on the Fons & Porter website:

http://www.fonsandporter.com/articles/Cayuga_sixteen_point_star_block_free_quilt_pattern?bc=c

It looks great in the muted neutral colors as shown, or would look fabulously patriotic in red, white and blues.  Hope you enjoy these and add these patterns to your collection today!

Meeting Reminder – Friday, March 15th

We will be meeting Friday, Mar 15^th,

from 10:00 – 2:00

at Crafty Threads Quilt Shop!

 

We will have a special QAYG technique demo during our lunch break,

so bring your lunch or a snack to this meeting.

We will have some goodies there to eat
AND
there will be a Door Prize!!

 

Click on this link to learn more.

Why Quilts of Valor?

When you can’t imagine the impact of our Quilts of Valor … read this:

A Message From Linda Kau

State of Alaska Coordinator

Quilts of Valor Foundation

"I just heard from a friend who is standing in for me in Alaska while I'm away. Last night she spoke to the state winter conference for the VFW and LA VFW  Auxiliary.

After speaking a man came up and told her how his son, who had been deployed to Afghanistan last year, had been having "a hard time" and each time they talked to him they could tell it was getting worse. One day when he called home he told the family he happened to see someone with a Quilt of Valor and noticed that the label said the maker was from Homer, Alaska...........his home state. The father said that made a world of difference to his son, knowing that someone back home cared enough to make a quilt for a stranger, and that it said the soldiers are there for a good reason.

That's why we do it, isn't it?........keep on sewing ladies.  Our troops still need to know we care! They are still in harm’s way, keeping us free."

Thank you, Linda, for this reminder.  They are, indeed, why we do this.

CT Quilters QOV Group

Next Meeting Date:

Friday, Mar 15^th at 10:00

Crafty Threads Quilt Shop

A quilt for inspiration!

March Meeting Date - Friday, March 15th

We are planning an exciting Quilts of Valor meeting this month – and it’s only one week away!  My, how times flies.  We will have time for some of our normal activities (see below) and then we will have a special demonstration of an easy  Quilt-As-You-Go technique.  You won’t want to miss this meeting!

We will meet as usual at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop on Racetrack Rd on Friday, March 15^th at 10:00.  Everyone is welcome to attend – no sewing skills required.

Ø      We will be having some quilt tops and some quilted quilts coming in, so we will need to:

Ø      Iron and prepare a few backings,

Ø      Machine sew on bindings of quilted quilts,

Ø      Hand sew bindings if time permits,

Ø      Cut fabrics into blocks for kits including light colors,

Ø      Make up more block kits to keep the basket full,

Ø      Prepare labels for at least 2 quilts,

Ø      Possibly sew rows for a quilt top,

Ø      And that ever popular category – Misc!

When we stop for our lunch/snack break, we will reconfigure the tables and Pat will begin the QAYG presentation using a serger.  This technique is just as easy when using a sewing machine, so we expect you will want to try it yourself no matter what machine you use!  We will have batting available if you want to give it a go.

Circle March 15^th on the calendar right now … see you there!

National Anthem Day

Original Ft McHenry flag - now housed
at the Smithsonian Institution

It was on this date, March 3^rd, in 1931 that

Congress proclaimed “The Star Spangled Banner”

the US National Anthem.

The Dept of Veteran’s Affairs has an excellent article about the origin of the National Anthem at:  http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/ssbanner.pdf

Here are all of the verses as composed by Francis Scott Key in September 1814,

♫♪♫♫♪♫♪♫♫♪♫♪♫♫♪♫♪♫♫♪♫♪♫♫♪♫♪♫♫♪   

"In Defense of Fort McHenry"

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Have you considered making a flag Quilt of Valor?  Of course, there are many, but here is one good pattern, Flag of Valor by Moda Fabrics:

http://tinyurl.com/au7uq7d

And this site has lots of patriotic quilt patterns (may take awhile to load – photo heavy):  http://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com/2012/05/free-pattern-day-patriotic-quilts.html

Check them out for inspiration and enjoy your National Anthem Day!