Quilts of Valor Delivery

The Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) is located in Hawaii, a short distance from Waikiki Beach.  Originally established as Tripler Hospital in 1907, it was constructed as the Army medical center after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  TMAC is the largest Army medical treatment facility in the Pacific Basin, and the home of the Pacific Regional Medical Command, one of six geographically based posts in the US Army Medical Command.

Recently, one of our Quilts of Valor members, Maria M., and her friend, Liz V., flew to Hawaii to award quilts.  Maria is a member of the CT Quilters QOV Group here in Tampa and also a member of a Guild in Brevard, NC.  Liz is a member of the Guild in NC.  Here is Maria's first-hand account of the visit to TAMC:

A Special Report from:

Tripler Army Medical Center Honolulu, Hawaii

Posted by:  Maria M.

On Sunday, Sept 15^th,  Liz V., her husband PJ V. and  I - Maria M. - arrived in Honolulu.   Upon arrival we were immediately able to pick up our Quilts of Valor which were shipped by Delta Airlines .

Thank You, Delta Airlines!

Delta Cargo Manager, Mr. Campbell, extended the courtesy again (as he did the previous year) to assist with complimentary wrapping and shipping of 4 boxes filled with 40 plus Quilts of Valor the day of our departure.

We carried 10 Quilts of Valor made by the CTQuilters QOV Group that meets at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop in Tampa, Florida and 32+ Quilts of Valor from the Cashiers Quilt Guild, Cashiers, North Carolina.

On Monday, Liz, her husband PJ (a Marine/Navy veteran) and myself prepared for our 11 am appointment at Tripler Army Medical Center to present 11 Quilts of Valor to a group of young soldiers diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

We were met by the Protocol Officer of Tripler Army Medical Center, Mr. Joel J. and several other coordinators/nurses of the PTSD Treatment Program.  It was Maria M.'s husband Michael M., an Army veteran, who first initiated the point of contact with the Hospital to arrange the Quilts of Valor delivery.

loading carts to bring in quilts

The presentation to these young men turned out to be very emotional since they were close to being discharged from the hospital and we had no idea what to expect since we had never delivered and presented Quilts of Valor to soldiers diagnosed with PTSD.

We displayed a great number of quilts for selection before the young men came into the room where we were set up. The young men each picked out the quilt they desired and before they went back to their rooms they chatted with all of us, gave us hugs and thanked us profusely for our time, effort and thoughtfulness. They could not believe we had traveled all the way from NC to present these "blankets" to them.  It made them feel so extra special that we cared so much about them. They were overjoyed to be able to place those "beautiful blankets" as they called them, to brighten up their hospital room and beds.

[photos have been edited to protect the

privacy of service personnel – the 

photos that follow are in no particular order

and do not necessarily track the narrative]

After they went back to their rooms and placed the quilts on their beds, some came back to share their excitement on how much their room had changed with the beautiful quilts they had picked out.  In their words, their rooms "were not so sterile now"!  They seemed to like the ones with the Eagles very much but an equal amount was picked from the colorful ones that were in the display of quilts. 

At one point, one of the young men diagnosed with severe PTSD came to me with his quilt choice, a beautiful Eagle quilt, and expressed how much he liked that one.  I wrapped the quilt around him, told him it would be his and that's when he and I hugged each other!  I held him for a few more moments since he seemed to cherish the hug then let him go.  Upon stepping back the Protocol Officer, a  nurse and a few other young men told me that this was the first time since his treatment began that he had shown any emotions and that he allowed someone to touch him.  Both Liz and  I were so touched by that, that it brought tears to our eyes! 

We left the remainder of the quilts with the Protocol Officer, since there were 12 more PTSD patients (soldiers) on a separate floor but they were interned, not allowed to come out or be visited.  Another 4 were going to another group of confined PTSD patients.  Mr. Jenkins would deliver the quilts to them later that day.  The remainder of the Quilts of Valor will go to the next incoming (2 weeks from now) PTSD Patients. 

We left the Hospital with mixed emotions and realized that there will be more and more of the PTSD patients who need treatment and therefore we would like to focus on making sure we have the PTSD patients included in our quilt deliveries in the future. 

Last year’s trip was to deliver Quilts of

Valor to Landstuhl in Germany. 

Next year’s trip will be to ..... ???

 Only time will tell !

POW/MIA Recognition Day

         

Today is the third Friday of September – observed annually in the US as Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day.  Ceremonies of remembrance will be held today across this country paying homage to our wartime Armed Forces personnel who have been or are being held captive and to those who are missing in action.

It was the 101^st Congress that designated the National League of POW/MIA Families’ black and white flag “as the symbol of our Nation’s concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation.”

The flag features a white disk bearing in black silhouette a man’s bust, a watch tower with a guard on patrol and a strand of barbed wire.  White letters – POW and MIA – with a 5-pointed star in between, are typed above the disk.  Below the disk is a black and white wreath above the motto “You are Not Forgotten” written in white capital letters.

The flag was designed by Newt Heisley.  The silhouette is based on Heisley’s son who was medically discharged from the military.  As Heisley look at his returning son’s gaunt features, he imagined what life was like for those behind barbed wire fences on foreign shores. 

The flag is a visual reminder to remember the sacrifices of POW/MIA service members and their families.  It is flown on six occasions throughout the year:  Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day and Veterans Day.  Civilians are free to display it year-round.

It is the resolve of the People of the

United States to never forget POWs or

those who served their country in

conflicts and are still missing.

Happy Birthday USAF!

Today marks the 66^th Birthday of the modern United States Air Force.

The USAF has its roots in the US Army’s Signal Corps when it formed an Aeronautical Division in 1907 only 3 ½ years after the Wright brothers flew the first powered airplane in Kitty Hawk, NC.  The Aeronautical Division accepted delivery of its first airplane from the Wright brothers in 1909, and the 1^st Aero Squadron was formed at the end of 1913.

When the US entered WWI, joining forces with the Allies, the major combatants had developed aircraft industries far superior to those of the US.  Responding to criticism, President Wilson created the Army Air Service under the War Department in 1918.  Although the US lacked competitive aircraft, it sent many pilots to serve in Europe, mostly flying French-built planes.  These fine men distinguished themselves and were honed into a formidable striking force.  The Air Service lost most of the people it had gained and planes in a rapid demobilization right after the war ended.

The British recognized the importance of air power and established the Royal Air Force in 1918, but despite the voices of visionaries, the US did not do likewise and instead made the Air Service a combat unit of the Army.  After Hitler launched WWII in 1939, the renamed Army Air Force began a steady growth of personnel and planes and became an equal to the Army’s Ground Forces.  Expansion continued after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  The AAF oversaw mobilization of the nation’s aviation industry and deployment of the largest air armada of all time.

By the end of WWII, quantity and quality of elite AAF units dominated the skies over both Germany and Japan, all by paralyzing their war economies.  It was on September 18, 1947 that the wartime achievements and future potential won the US Air Force its independence as a full partner with the Army and the Navy.

 

Tuskeegee Airmen

The USAF remembers the lessons and achievements of the past as well as honoring the memory, sacrifices and contribution of those who succeeded in building what is now the world’s only truly global air and space force!

 

Interesting Factoid:

Stuart Symington became the first Secretary of the Air Force in 1947 and within a month, test pilot Chuck Yeager flew the Bell XS-1 past the speed of sound, launching the new Air Force into the supersonic era.

Recap of 09-13-13 Meeting

Q.  What did we create at this month’s Quilts of Valor meeting?

A.  Piles of prize-worthy pillowcase presentation packages!

Each of the quilts that we sew are awarded to their recipient in a pillowcase presentation package and we like to have lots of these on hand – ready for that *next* quilt that gets finished.  The good news was that we were running very low because we have made and awarded so many quilts this year.  The bad news is that there remains a great need for more Quilts of Valor to be made and distributed.  If you would like to get in on this great project, please come and join us at our next meeting.

Now for the update on the special Mock Trip Around the World quilt that we were working on at the last meeting.  This variation of block placement is called Many Trips Around the World - Linda finished adding the borders to it after the meeting and *TaDa!* the Big Reveal:  

Someone is going to love to receive that quilt.  And in keeping with their tag team effort, Debbie added borders to the class sample Trip Around the World that Linda had made and another Big Reveal:

We also had a multitude of other quilts and tops brought in.  These are from our favorite pattern designed by Bonnie Hunter, called the Fourth of July (see the sidebar for a link to her Quiltville website and free pattern).  This is such a versatile pattern because we can use a variety of donated fabrics.

this is a variation of how the blocks are placed

Debbie and Diana both finished these flag quilts.

This pattern was designed by Connie Doern and Marianne Fons of Fons & Porter fame.  Many people look at this and think that the flag is “backwards”.   But, this is the correct way to display a hanging flag (as opposed to a flag on a pole) per the US Flag Code:

“When the flag is displayed in a manner other than by being flown from a staff, it should be displayed flat, whether indoors or out. When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag's own right, that is, to the observer's left. When displayed in a window it should be displayed in the same way, that is with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.”

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/more/displayonly.htm

Check out these beautiful quilts that were made or quilted using an embroidery machine.  Linda quilted her beautiful Carpenter’s Star with patriotic symbols using her machine and Debbie used hers for the appliqué of her hearts and stars quilt.  Both are gorgeous!

detail of applique

And we had three Jelly Roll quilts!  Linda, Kathy and Barbara worked up jelly roll quilts to bring in this month – and this was Barbara’s first ever.  Linda had already quilted hers and it was marvelous work.

 

Barbara's

Kathy's

Linda's

Both Diana and Linda worked up quilts using the Warm Wishes pattern featured in Quiltmaker Magazine.  Click on the link for the free pattern.  This is an easy pattern to work with and it always comes out looking unique and fantastic.

 

Linda's

detail of Linda's patriotic fabrics

Diana's

Yvonne had finished up the hand-sewing of the binding and label of the quilt that Debbie made and brought in last month.

And Debbie brought in this quilt that proves that simplicity can be lovely and very comforting:

This stupendous quilt is a work in process by Loretta:

Two of our long-armers brought back quilts.  The first is from Virginia of Palm Harbor Quilts.  Virginia has also volunteered to square up and trim her quilts for us and we appreciate the extra help!

And the second is from Kathy (the top was pieced by Ginger).  Isn’t this a great quilt?!

More photos of our worker bees and Show and Tell in the next post …

Thank you all very much, Ladies.  It was a VERY productive meeting!

See you next month:  Friday, October18, 2013