Family and Service T-Shirt Quilt

Rob Smith had a blanket made that truly represents the most important things in his life from service to family,

“The T-shirts used in this blanket are a culmination of 20 years of military service and important parts of my life history.  Over the course of a military career, it seems the average Soldier or Sailor gathers enough Shirts to clothe a small country.  Typically when you retire you get a shadow box to display your ribbons, patches, a Flag, and various small articles.  However, when I came across Project Repat, I realized you had the perfect addition to any shadow box.  What you see in my blanket is a varying collection of shirts from the commands I’ve been apart of and different uniform items I’ve been blessed to wear.  From the basic Boot camp blue and gold PT Navy shirt, to the new official yellow Navy shirt they are all memories and accomplishments.  My “Cracker Jack top” represents 18 years of life as a Junior Sailor; the V-neck and flap are truly what identifies the CrackerJacks. The khaki top represents my advancement to the Senior Enlisted Ranks. The most important shirts are the pink, brown and white shirt, and the solid blue button down shirt.  These were the shirts my wife and I wore on our first date. Placed between them are two other very important shirts. One from our  first child, “Blazerdog” who we  just lost in February, and our second child “Graham” who outgrew that Sailor outfit.  I will cherish this blanket to its last thread, hopefully for many years to come”