Greetings from Iraq -

We received the following thanks from the soldier in Iraq who received a box of our Halloween fabric postcards:

Chetan received the Halloween Postcards on Monday and his note is below:

Thank you....the post cards have and will continue to put smiles on our faces.

We received the package on 22 Oct--mail travels fast--I passed it on to our First Sergeant, SMSgt Dennis Wellman; he is cc'd on this e-mail.

He passed it on to the remaining First Sergeants here, we are trying to reach out to the maximum number possible.

Also, can you send us the link, it will be easier for us pass on that way.

Again, thanks and we look forward to the Christmas ones.

v/r Chetan

Penny’s Postcard Posse Rounds ‘em up Again. . .

Marine Jets Take off on Friday to deliver 639 Miniature Quilts to Our Troops in Iraq for Halloween

Since Halloween is the most celebrated holiday in the US, quilters have once again dropped everything to create tiny quilts for soldiers abroad.

These pocked-size Halloween greetings, made from bits and pieces of fabric, will take off on Friday headed for Marine Squadrons from Miramar that are part of the 3^rd Marine Aircraft Wing stationed in Western Iraq to let them know that people here in the States are thinking about them and praying for their safe return.

The postcards were delivered to Miramar on Friday, October 19 to Sargeant Major Louis M. Espinal (pictured above - on the left). Ed Rush, on the right, is a friend of Penny's who arranged for the delivery.

“Halloween is such a fun occasion that soldiers wouldn’t normally celebrate, we thought it would be a wonderful surprise that would bring smiles to soldiers’ faces and fond memories of Trick or Treating.”

The Marines are excited to be recipients of The Postcard Posse's miniature quilts; probably just as excited as the hundreds of quilters are who made them.

This Roundup included quilters as well as children from a second grade class at an elementary school in El Cajon, members of the College Lutheran Church, the La Mesa Rotary Club, and the staff at North Island Federal Credit Union.

In addition to the fabric postcards that were delivered to Miramar, cards were sent directly to Iraq to soldiers from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Cleveland, Ohio.

The next Roundup is scheduled for Thanksgiving, with deadlines fast approaching i order to get the cards winging their way across the globe for arrival before Thanksgiving day. In addition, quilters will be making cards for Christmas. In fact, fabric postcards have already been arriving for both of those holidays.

While I was at Miramar, I found out that soldiers from San Diego will once again begin deploying after the first of the year. It seems to me that there is no reason to wait until they are already over there. How about if we have our first 2008 Penny's Postcard Roundup start in January so individual soldiers can carry a pocket-size quilt with them as they travel across the globe to serve our country!

More later -Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren