Nov

18

Beyond November 11th

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

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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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Comments

One Response to “Beyond November 11th”

  1. Robert L. "Doc" Baty on November 19th, 2009 8:30 pm

    First let me say that the quilt is absolutely beautiful. For many years I have joined with members of the VFW and American Legion for Veterans Day services. For the last couple of years my Veterans Days Service has taken place at a small VA Cemetary in Hot Springs, SD. I have found that the comradship that I feel while walking among the graves is similar to what I felt when I went to the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC. It is one of my healing places among veterans dating back to the Spanish-American War. There is one Medal Of Honor holder buried in this small plot of land and I feel a certain kinship with those who are buried there. I will spend a couple of hours walking up and down the rows of tomb stones and read each name as I go past each one. It helps me to deal with the demons that are left from Vietnam. Thank you for all that you have done for veterans.

    Sincerely,

    Robert L. “Doc” Baty
    HM2 USN – Vietnam 1966-1967