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stephanie
02-25-2007, 01:59 AM
I think I remember Birdzeye say she/he was doing something like this.....Great job....

:clap: :salute:
At Walter Reed, Wounded Troops Find Comfort in Donated Quilts

By Jura Koncius
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 31, 2007; Page B01

The carefully packed boxes stack up daily in the chaplain's quarters at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, about 50 a week. The instructions read simply: "Please give this to a soldier." Chaplain John L. Kallerson, an Army major, gently opens each one and places the contents around his windowless office. Then he lays his big hands on the piles and says a blessing.

His is the ministry of the quilts.
<a href="http://www.imagehostingsite.com/gallery.php?entry=images/dm4motqizfvmlzdwxz4o.jpg"><img src="http://www.imagehostingsite.com/images/thumbs/dm4motqizfvmlzdwxz4o.jpg" border="0" alt="Hosted image" /></a>

Photos
A Stitch of Hope
More than 7,900 "comfort quilts," each carefully stitched with love and gratitude, have been sent through the Quilts of Valor Foundation to wounded soldiers at Walter Reed and 70 other U.S. military medical centers.


Participating Groups

The online quilting community has a long reach. Here are several national organizations stitching quilts for soldiers or families of soldiers serving in Iraq or Afghanistan:


Quilts of Valor Foundation: Catherine Roberts's Delaware organization gives quilts to wounded service members and connects quilters with longarmers, who donate their time to machine-finish quilts. The group has made 7,900 quilts. http://www.qovf.org

Operation Kid Comfort: The Armed Services YMCA collects photographs from military families and uses volunteers to transfer images of deployed service members onto quilts for their children 5 and younger. Older children get quilted pillows. The project began at Fort Bragg in 2003 and has bestowed 3,000 quilts. http://www.asymca.org/c4-2.html

Home of the Brave Quilts: California quilter Don Beld started this group in 2004 to comfort grieving families of U.S. service members who have died. About 2,000 have been donated by groups in 48 states and the District. These quilts are copies of those made in the Civil War for soldiers to use as bedrolls or on hospital cots. http://www.homeofthebravequilts.com

Marine Comfort Quilts: Originally started by two Marine mothers in 2003, the group quilts for families of service members who have died in Iraq, regardless of service branch. The group collects squares stitched with messages for the families and has completed 2,563 quilts. http://www.marinecomfortquilts.us

A phone call to the chaplain four years ago has created a national movement to say thank you to soldiers wounded in the war on terror.

More than 7,900 "comfort quilts," each carefully stitched with love and gratitude, have been sent through the Quilts of Valor Foundation to the wounded soldiers at Walter Reed and 70 other U.S. military medical centers. Kallerson prays over and hands out quilts from church groups, schoolchildren, quilting bees. Quilts made from accomplished artists whose designs sell for thousands. Quilts with bears, fish, basketballs. Quilts with hot-pink flowers for wounded women.

Amish and Mennonites have sent them anonymously. Children at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind have created Braille quilts for soldiers who have lost their sight. Some donors, such as Native Americans who sent quilts bearing warrior symbols, have requested that their quilts be given to kindred spirits. Many have special messages: "You are our hero." "You are very brave."

Some arrive with letters, tapes or prayers.


the rest.....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013001871.html

Psychoblues
02-26-2007, 02:26 AM
Sometimes I drive Veterans to the VA to receive the help that has been promised to them. Sometimes I get a band together and play at the auditorium provided by the VA for the entertainment of their patients. Sometimes I serve coffee and donuts at the VA Center and I know that my presense and participation there really does make a difference. Sometimes I cry with them as they suffer. Sometimes I think the United States Of America just doesn't give one shit for their Veterans. Sometimes I just cry for no reason that I can comprehend.

Most of the time I just rejoice that we have young people to step forward and take a position to protect our dreams of an enlightened society. Most of the time I am strongly re-enforced in my ideology that Americans take care of Americans. Most of the time I am very proud. But some of the time I am ashamed that so few are so ignored by so many. For whatever reason, the conservatives (as I see them) have nothing for the Veterans with problems but espouse everything for those that do not.

As a Veteran that is 0% ( that is Zero percent) service connected consideration and without one cent of a VA pension I am appalled towards the treatment of disabled American Veterans by otherwise self described supporters of the American miracle of Democracy.

Keep "stitching", Staphy, and I'll keep driving.

stephanie
02-26-2007, 03:46 AM
Leave it to you....

To turn a wonderful post about good people.......

into a downer..

You really are a miserable human...

Gunny
02-26-2007, 10:43 PM
Leave it to you....

To turn a wonderful post about good people.......

into a downer..

You really are a miserable human...

It's really cool that unpretentious people anonymously send these gifts. It shows they aren't looking for pats on the back, or using it as some lame excuse to attempt to make a political statement, and that it's not about them donating, but those who have sacrificed for service to this Nation.

shattered
02-26-2007, 10:45 PM
Sometimes I drive Veterans to the VA to receive the help that has been promised to them. Sometimes I get a band together and play at the auditorium provided by the VA for the entertainment of their patients. Sometimes I serve coffee and donuts at the VA Center and I know that my presense and participation there really does make a difference. Sometimes I cry with them as they suffer. Sometimes I think the United States Of America just doesn't give one shit for their Veterans. Sometimes I just cry for no reason that I can comprehend.

Most of the time I just rejoice that we have young people to step forward and take a position to protect our dreams of an enlightened society. Most of the time I am strongly re-enforced in my ideology that Americans take care of Americans. Most of the time I am very proud. But some of the time I am ashamed that so few are so ignored by so many. For whatever reason, the conservatives (as I see them) have nothing for the Veterans with problems but espouse everything for those that do not.

As a Veteran that is 0% ( that is Zero percent) service connected consideration and without one cent of a VA pension I am appalled towards the treatment of disabled American Veterans by otherwise self described supporters of the American miracle of Democracy.

Keep "stitching", Staphy, and I'll keep driving.


Congratulations - you're my very first "ding". You should be proud, you senseless, inconsiderate ass.

Gunny
02-26-2007, 10:47 PM
Congratulations - you're my very first "ding". You should be proud, you senseless, inconsiderate ass.

"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Shattered again."

manu1959
02-26-2007, 10:50 PM
"You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Shattered again."

i got ya covered....

Abbey Marie
02-26-2007, 10:58 PM
i got ya covered....

Me too.

CSM
02-27-2007, 06:33 AM
Me too.

Ayup