An Ellijay veteran was honored with the presentation of a special quilt prior to an Aug. 21 city council meeting.
Navy veteran Greg Sandway received the handmade Quilt of Valor from representatives of the Georgia Quilts of Valor organization and the Pickens County-based Pine Needle Quilt Guild.
Quilt guild member Randolph Case said making Quilts of Valor, which usually feature patriotic colors and patterns, began in Maryland around 20 years ago with a mother whose son was returning from serving in Iraq.
“She had a dream that, when he returned, she could present him with and wrap him up in a quilt she made. She knew the history of all the quilt things that had been done way back from the Revolutionary War up through the Civil War to encourage and comfort our fighting forces,” Case said during the quilt presentation. “She took this on as a special project. Sure enough, when her son returned, she met him at the airport and wrapped him up (in a quilt). That began the the tradition. It caught on quick with a lot of her friends in the local area who made quilts.”
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Sandway spent 28 years in the Navy, which included serving in Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He later served two years in Europe and Africa leading a specialized task force and heading a U.S. Fleet Forces Command branch in anti-terrorism operations. His wife, Janet Spivey Sandway, is originally from Ellijay, where both currently live.
“I signed up in the Navy to make a difference for our country. That’s all I wanted to do,” said Sandway after receiving the quilt. “I drove ships and hovercraft the first five years, which was OK, but I wanted to do more. I got accepted into the special operations program and got two years of very specialized training. I got to see a lot of our world, including things our country does for a bunch of other countries, (as well as) the really terrible things that happen that require the military of the U.S. to go.”
Sandway, who was in Afghanistan for 13 months, said the most important part of his military service was protecting people there and in other hostile regions.
“To go to sleep every night knowing you saved somebody’s life, I know our first responders know what that’s like,” he said. “There’s no (bigger) pride you can feel.”
Case said the Quilts of Valor program is now in its 20th year and, nationwide, members of different groups have made and presented more than 350,000 quilts to American military veterans. The local group, which is one of 600 chapters, has made and presented more than 400 quilts to north Georgia veterans including the red, white and blue one made for Sandway.
“It’s something special to leave everything you hold dear and stand in harm’s way in a time of crisis. You’ve done that repeatedly, and we appreciate that. We want to honor you for your service,” Case said. “This quilt is a thank you for your service, and it’s meant for comfort. We don’t want you to take it home and hang it on the wall or fold it up and put it on a shelf. It’s guaranteed for life. We want you to wear it out! Know that the warmth and comfort is straight from our hearts with a lot of appreciation.”
Sandway said receiving the Quilt of Valor was something special not only for him, but also his family.
“I know how much work went into this, and we will cherish this. I really don’t have anything that I got from my dad, who was in the military, so for me, this is a great thing to pass on to my children,” he added.