Nov

18

Beyond November 11th

Filed Under American Patriotism, Events, Quilts of Valor, Veteran's Day | 1 Comment

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 Wednesday was Veteran’s Day.  A twenty-four hour period where Americans are supposed to stop at some time during those hours to honor and reflect on the sacfrices made by our veterans so that others can live in a free and democratic country.  Truly, I don’t know how many Americans did this… With the busyness of daily life, I didn’t see much evidence that many knew the honorary day existed.  Yet, across the nation there many observances.

In our home we did something uniquely special.  Something we have never done before, nor will we do again. The event was a culmination of several months of planning. 

It included the thoughtfulness and generosity of family members and close friends, along with the sewing fingers of  the Caring Quilters of “The Rabbit’s Lair” in Rogers, AR.  Contributers are Betty Hayes, Marguerite Steiner, Nancy White and Patty Wilhelm and machine quilted by Donna Roche. All are dedicated to making a difference with the  “Quilts of Valor”. 

It was a secret for Tony, which took a great deal of evasive action and patience to execute.  In honor of all vets, we took this day to symbolize such respect by paying tribute to one.  Inviting several neighbors to share the evening, we ate a light dinner, then watched the touching movie, Taking Chance, the true story of a twenty-year old Marine who died in Iraq.  The movie chronicled the journey of Chance Phelps from Iraq to his family burial place in Dubois, Wyoming.  http://www.hbo.com/films/takingchance/

One member this evening, a former marine who flew helicopters in Vietnam, shared how, while he was waiting for his overseas assignment, was given the duty of informing two families of their loved ones’ death.  It was information he had never shared with any of us before and we could tell that the memory still remained with him.

At the very end of the evening, we surprised Tony with his own Quilt of Valor.  Needless to say, he was speechless and quite humbled.  You see, he understood that this distinctive comforter of courage was not just for him, but for every wounded warrior from every war past and present.  So Thank You every veteran for your sacrifice and service.  We hold you warmly in our hearts and minds, not just on November 11, but every day of every year.

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