you may never know
Beth says that when the IED (improvised explosive device) hit her son’s truck in Afghanistan, she felt it from thousands of miles away, in Northeast Ohio, USA. In her heart, she knew David had been hurt but had no idea the extent of his injuries. She’d learn later that he was sent by plane to Germany then Maryland and then to California with a handmade denim quilt draping his battered body.
The quilt, made by volunteers for Operation Quiet Comfort (OQC), is made up of several small squares, probably only 5” square, but many of them have handwritten messages on them. The squares one might notice first are in the center of the quilt. On a white background, one sees the following inscriptions: “Freedom of speech and expression everywhere in the world,” “Freedom from want everywhere in the world,” “Freedom of every person to worship God in his own way-everywhere in the world,” and lastly, “Freedom from fear – anywhere in the world.”
Moving out away from the center, one can’t help but notice each of the handwritten notes on the blue denim squares. Messages like, “The risks you take defend our freedom! God bless you and take care,” and “Thank you for your service. One day at a time. Enjoy. Bless you,” and one with two smiley faces drawn around the message like parentheses, “Keep your spirits up!”
David incurred a broken foot and a traumatic brain injury as well as the beginnings of post-traumatic stress that fateful day in Afghanistan. After being near the site of the explosion 14 hours, he was sent to get a splint on his foot. It was determined he’d need to get to a hospital but since no plane was available for transport, he was given a bunk where he slept for 20 hours. He would fly from Helmand province to Bagram and from there to an army hospital in Landstuhl, Germany and then from there to Bethesda, Maryland. But that wasn’t the end of his journey. He’d fly onto Colorado, then Northern California and then to San Diego But the quilt, which covered his body and kept him warm on the flight from Germany to Bethesda, was a comfort in the storm. One can almost get a sense of the weight of the denim material listening to Beth talk about it.
After giving it to his mom for safekeeping, Beth has recently given it back to him. He may not have been able to totally appreciate it until home safe, but it is a treasure to this day.
David is a full-time police officer now and has recently received a commendation for pulling a disabled woman from her burning home along with two other officers. The fire chief from the city in which David works said that it was amazing what these young officers did. To give some perspective, he also said he would not go after a criminal in a building if he were first on the scene.
It is hard to say what kind of stressors he faces daily and if and how those stressors take him back to the battlefields of Afghanistan. He is, unfortunately, in the company of many, many other veterans who have sacrificed sometimes their lives for the freedoms we have to this day. Let’s hope that quilt, and the men and women who made it, show David how truly appreciative our nation is.
If you have a story to tell, about a quilt you have received or made yourself, I invite you to share it here. If you need help telling your story, my book, The Story of Your Quilt, is loaded with motivational quotes and inspirational prompts to help you get started. You can find it here now.
David’s denim quilt (photo courtesy of Sam and Beth Swaffield)