Preserving Memories for Gold Star Moms - A Military Memory Quilt Story
Nov 11, 2013
We have had the great privilege of making blankets that honor the memories of fallen soldiers. For this Veterans Day, we want to share with you the story of a memory blanket we made for one special Gold Star Mother. She wrote to us to tell us about some of the moments from the life of her late daughter Sgt. Ashley Marie Carey, that are represented in her memorial quilt.
Here is what she wrote to us after receiving her memory quilt that preserves her daughters clothes.
I was at home for lunch and lucky for me I was there when the package was delivered!! I’m soooooooo grateful to you and the folks at your Company for making this quilt!!
I have a quilt that was made for me with Ashley’s uniforms, printed pics of her, and fabrics with dog paw prints, for her beloved, German Shepard, Sadie, my Grand Dog, and and fabric of wild horses, which was the song to be played at her wedding, she was engaged to a wonderful man, which I consider “my son,” who is a Sgt. Major in the Army, and is still serving.
That quilt is displayed on my head board of my bed, and I’m scared of getting it dirty because it also has blank squares for people to write anything they want inside of them.
But this quilt I will be able to wrap myself in and think of her. As a matter of fact, I have a story I’d like to tell you. When I was given the horrible news of her passing, I immediately flew out to North Carolina and four days later, I was sitting in a packed Chapel for her Memorial Service in Ft. Bragg. The Chaplin advised me of the upcoming ceremony called Last Roll Call, where they call a couple of Soldiers names as they do in the actual Roll Call and they answer, but when they come to Ashley’s name, they say it three times, Sgt. Carey, Sgt. Ashley Carey, Sgt. Ashley Marie Carey, then the Color Guard shoots off three rounds outside w/their weapons. Well I was hyper vigilant during the Ceremony and I was prepared for that. As soon as it was stated that Last Roll Call was being called, I had a physical feeling of a blanket or arms being wrapped around me. I kid you not. And I’ll never forget that feeling as long as I live. Like the moment I was able to watch Ashley jump into the arms of Graham, that was dressed in a pink bunny suit, and he’s over six feet tall and an Army Ranger mind you that rides a Harley, when Ashley returned home from her tour in Iraq.