Thursday, January 14, 2010

A Quilt of Valor Presentation

Yesterday was an awesome day! It was a day to be remembered! One of the people that I work with getting these Quilts of Valor to Soldiers and Vets was going to be near our area. I hoped that she would be able to come and talk to the students (in our 5th grade) about how she sees Quilts of Valor, and there importance in what she does.
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She did even better than just talking to us, she brought us two Veterans. One was Army, and one a Marine. One served one tour, the other 2 tours. They were able to answer some questions and tell us about there military careers, their experiences, and what they learned in the military.
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One of the biggest things they stressed was that they learned was to respect everyone. Each person may wear different clothes, have a different background, look different than you, but they still deserve respect. What an important concept to learn, and to have these 2 vets tell the 5th graders that - well wow!
These two vets were very personable, and as they got more comfortable around the kids, shared quite a bit of what it is like to go to a foreign country as a young person. Both of them had enlisted when they were 18 or 19. The gentleman vet said that he entered a boy, and learned to be a man.
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5 of the students put together a wonderful presentation, and stood up there in the front to present the quilts. Most of the vets that I have encountered get a little embarrased being the center of attention - and these 2 were no different. But they did get choked up.
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The Gentleman said that to be remembered, to be thanked, means more to him than you can imagine. To know that he is not forgotten is priceless. ( that made me cry)
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As I walked them out to the car they both said this was the best experience for them, a great part of recovery - and then this morning I recieved this email:
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I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you for the quilt and booklet of thank you's from the students. It really means the world to me that we are still in peoples hearts and prayers..........This was an awesome experience, not only for the kids, but for me as well. Talking about what I did, and educating people on the ups and downs of war helps me just as much as it does them.
So, Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk to everyone, and I am grateful for the quilt that I will forever hold dear to my heart.
Sincerely,


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I hope you all feel as if you were there. I know my pictures are not perfect, but I kind of forgot that I was supposed to be doing that..

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alycia

As I read your words and their's I was tearfully reminded of the purpose to which we lovingly direct our hands...to comfort those who serve and have served. They have learned so many lessons and gently shared them with your kids and us. Thanks again for your insight.

Shari in AZ

Nancy said...

Thank you for letting us "see" these presentations through your words and your photos. It would be hard to come away from them without being deeply moved.

On a side note: Is there anyway to enlarge the photos on this and other posts? Sometimes, I just want to study the quilts, but the images are too small.

Sherrill said...

Ooo, that's so COOL! How great for both the kids and the soldiers! I love that and really appreciate your 'report'. Is that, perchance, my stars and bars that I sent you in the picture? I HOPE SO! But if not, that's OK, too! lol

Vicki W said...

Oh damn, you made me cry at work!

Lori in South Dakota said...

I wish I had been there!

Stephanie D said...

Oh, how nice to have the kids' efforts reinforced and to hear for themselves what our troops go through! I hope this spawns a whole new generation of grateful citizens.

I'm so glad you shared this with us!

Yvonne said...

Awesome!

Jan Mac said...

Thanks for sharing with us Alycia. It sounds like a very powerful lesson for the kids as well as for the soldiers.
Hugs Jan Mac
Aussie

Anonymous said...

Wow, Alycia! I am crying at my computer. How wonderful for the vets, the kids, and for all of us also.

Again, thank you for what you do!

Bari