Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S. C. -- The Air Station unveiled a Quilt of Valor display honoring the members of the Sew What Club Quilters of Sun City/Hilton Head in a ceremony Monday at the MCAS Headquarters Building here.The club has donated more than 200 quilts to service members wounded in the Global War on Terrorism, since the club began making quilts in August 2004. Col. Robert Lanham, the Air Station commanding officer, assisted by his wife Leigh, and Elizabeth Palmer, a club member, unveiled the quilt display. Lanham also accepted an additional 49 quilts on behalf of wounded service members.“This is an incredible tribute to the community’s commitment of what our Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen do for their country,” Lanham said. “This is a tangible gift from (the Sew What Club) from the heart, that really goes out to the people who need it.”Each Quilt of Valor measures approximately 45” by 45” and is made of primarily red, white and blue fabrics. “Each and every quilt is different,” said Ronda Palmer, a member of the club. “Each quilt takes about two weeks to make.”According to Palmer, the group meets once a week to work on the projects. Sometimes the quilts are made by a group and others are made individually. The ladies of the club also use their personal time to finish the quilts.“Our gratitude goes out to the [club members],” Lanham said. “We just wanted to recognize them in an ongoing basis. This will show the Marines at our Air Station and people that visit us here, what they do for our Marines.”Every few months a new Quilt of Valor will be displayed, according to Lanham. After a quilt is displayed it will find its appropriate home with a wounded service member.“These quilts show our appreciation, our support and certainly our love for the service members,” Palmer said. “We hope they know when they receive one it’s not just a quilt, it’s their quilt.”The newly received quilts will be delivered to various medical treatment facilities on the East Coast for service members who are recuperating from wounds sustained in Iraq or Afghanistan.