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| LaMoyne and Jules (with volunteer) |
Dear Major Sucher:
I thought you might like a little background on two of your supporters, LaMoyne and Jules. These dear friends of ours are in their 80's, but accomplish more than many folks half their ages. They are the "strong, silent type" in terms of their humanitarian deeds always pitching in when somebody needs a helping hand. I'm sure there is much they do that I'm not aware of, but what I do know follows:
We met Jules and LaMoyne 6 or 7 years ago when we started the troop support program. At that time, we were asking for the 100% wool, hand knitted ski masks for our troops serving in the winter in the war zones. Then, summer came and we asked for neck coolers for those troops in the hot, dry climates.
LaMoyne started sewing neck coolers by the hundreds. To keep up with production, she taught Jules, who served as a Marine in Korea, to use her serging machine in his den as he watched ballgames. As he inserted the water-absorbing granules in each pocket, Jules serged the final seam closed. (He serges faster when his Cubs are winning.) :)
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| Volunteers |
Jules and LaMoyne then asked volunteers to meet in the upstairs of their church, Clearlake Church of Christ in Springfield, IL, one night each week to make the neck coolers "assembly line" style. Many came, young and old, men and women, boys and girls, all to do their part to support our troops. Sewing machines, serging machines, irons, ironing boards, fabric came pouring into the church. There were those who pressed fabric, others marked where the pockets were to be sewn, one grade school boy even sewed pockets on a sewing machine. Everybody pitched in as LaMoyne showed them what was required. Runners picked up piles of neck coolers at one station and took them to the next. Finally, there were those who did quality control, checking for missed granules and stray threads as they stapled on the "Use Instructions" and neatly folded them for shipment. (jpg95 is LaMoyne on the left, Jules on the right, and their youth minister Ryan Miller (no relation) in the center. jpg 99 and 108 are volunteers working. Some of the best photos are of the children running sewing machines, carrying neck coolers from one work station to the next, but, because they are minors, I have not included those photos.)
When my husband and I started shipping red/white/blue quilts to our Wounded Heroes in the war zones, LaMoyne started piecing tops for our wounded. As LaMoyne carefully guided her big quilting machine across the fabric following the "meander" pantograph pattern with her laser, Jules stood at the back side of her quilting machine table and performed "quality control" looking for stray threads, helping LaMoyne advance the three layers, etc.
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| Volunteers |
This week when I spoke with LaMoyne, she couldn't talk very long, as they had had volunteers there that day sewing little dresses for girls in Kenya and had to quickly eat supper and then the "evening shift" of volunteers were coming to their home to make more little dresses for these girls. (Jules was serging the little dresses.) Though they continue to support our troops deployed to the war zones, they also quilt quilts for orphans in Romania, sew diapers for babies in Africa, and make dresses for little girls in Kenya.
Whether you're in a nearby town and need a ride to your doctor's office, yard mowed, leaves raked, a covered dish or are living in a third world country, your life has been made better by humanitarian work of Jules and LaMoyne. I know that mine has been.
Very respectfully yours,
Linda Swinford
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Dear Major Sucher:
Just to clarify, there is no relationship between the ad hoc group of quilters who give me the quilts that I ship to you and Citizen S.A.M. My husband and I legally transferred Operation Helmetliner to Citizen S.A.M. in December 2008 and are no longer affliated with Citizen S.A.M. and Operation Helmetliner. I'm sorry for any confusion as a result of my use of the old quilt labels that say "Operation Helmetliner" on them. I was just trying to use up those "Operation Helmetliner" labels that volunteers throughout the U.S. had made previously for us to use on the quilts and we don't have any to replace those labels at this time.
I wanted to focus on "doing" for our troops rather than "administering" a program any longer. My husband and I purchased one of the big quilting machines like LaMoyne has, so we could sew the top, batting and backing together for quilts to ship to our Wounded Heroes. (LaMoyne is my quilting mentor.)
When we travel to Springfield, LaMoyne gives me not only the red/white/blue quilts that she has made, but also those from quilters in Lexington, IL, who bring her quilt tops to quilt as well as completed quilts to pass on to me for shipping to you.
As Paul Harvey used to say, "And there you have it, the rest of the story."
Our thoughts and prayers continue for all of you serving in our Armed Forces.
Very respectfully yours,
Linda Swinford
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Linda,
Thank you for allowing me to publish your email. I can't find any better words to add to what you have already written about LaMoyne, Jules and the great people who volunteer their time and work. God bless all of you. The troops you are working for are certainly deserving. They are also thankful for all that you do for them.
Sincerely,
JF Sucher, MD FACS
MAJ USAR MC
Surgeon 909th FST
