Four mothers received their “healing blankets” Saturday afternoon at the Comfort Inn.
Sandi Carstenen, national coordinator of the Home of the Brave Quilt project, gave quilts to mothers of fallen soldiers, touting the four foot by seven foot quilts as both healing blankets and security blankets.
“We know nothing can replace the loss in your heart,” Carstenen said.
The trip started when Carstenen, who is from Iowa, came down to visit family in Pittsburg. Knowing she was going to be in the area, Carstenen called several Kansas mothers, from around the Wichita area, who lost their sons.
Attending Saturday were: Ann Mock, mother of Sgt. Will Mock; Karen Funcheon, mother of Sgt. Alex Funcheon; Janet Marsh, mother of Spc. Chad Marsh; and Dena Palmer, mother of Corp. Eric Palmer.
“It means so much that people care,” Marsh said. “It’s comforting. They go to a lot of work and a lot of effort to make sure my son isn’t forgotten.”
Funcheon said she understood how much work it took. Funcheon herself is a quilter for Quilts of Valor, which gives quilts to soldiers wounded at war.
“It goes to show that people really care,” Palmer said. “There are truly good people in the world. There are so many people who don’t understand what it’s like to be a military family, and what that loss is. It just means a lot.”
Carstenen brought seven quilts — the four mothers who made the trip will take the other three quilts back to the mothers who could not make it. No two quilts are alike, and the makers of the quilts sign the quilt blocks.
The group doesn’t just make quilts for the families of veterans who died at war — Carstenen said she remembered an occasion where a soldier returned from duty and died in a motorcycle accident.
It’s also not always easy to find the family members. The U.S. Government does not release that information, and Carstenen had at least one occasion where the family didn’t have an address, or a phone number. After calling a local church, Carstenen eventually sent the quilt off to a police department in the area. The officers then made the delivery.
But Carstenen said she liked to make the deliveries personally, and several of the mothers said they appreciated the personal touch.
“I have received so many things that have been donated for my son,” Mock said. “This was a chance to go and meet the people who were helping. I think they’re just an amazing group. I applaud them.”
“It’s great to have our sons recognized,” Funcheon said. “But at the same time, this is a group we would rather not be in.”
Kevin Flaherty can be reached at kevin.flaherty@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 Ext. 134
