Gold Star Family Support: Memorials

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom Quilts

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom Quilts will be on display at the Mike Ocallaghan Federal Hospital, 4700 Las Vegas Boulevard North, Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 27, 2010. An ending date for the display has not been determined as of yet.

"People hear what they see," is a phrase Elaine McDonald uses to explain the quilt project she started in April of 2004 to honor our nation's Fallen Heroes. When people see her quilts with individual squares to honor each troop killed in action, she hopes they will stop, think, feel and most of all, remember the sacrifices that have been made on their behalf.

There are 5 quilts that contain the name, rank, date of death and hometown of the U.S. casualties of Operation Iraqi Freedom. There are 2 quilts that contain the same information for those killed in Operation Enduring Freedom. Each square of the quilts contains four names.

The quilts were made with the pattern, "Marble Quilt" which was used during World War II when the ladies of the town wrote the names of the young men who went off to war. Scrap fabrics are used to make the circles around which the names are inscribed. The quilts are hand-tied and backed with muslin.

Elaine has cut every piece, sewn every section and written every name, rank and hometown by herself; over 5,000 of them so far. She says it helps her "know these young men and women who have given their lives for our country."