MSC PAO 04-30
November 18, 2004
For more information, contact:
Marge Holtz or Gillian Brigham
(202) 685-5055

Tribute to Navy hospital ship unveiled at Arlington National Cemetery

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The Comfort quilt was unveiled on Veteran's Day during a ceremony at the Women in Military Service Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. The quilt commemorates the service of the men and women aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort during its deployment in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

A quilt commemorating the service of the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort in Operation Iraqi Freedom was unveiled on Veteran's Day during a ceremony at the Women in Military Service Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Comfort, one of only two hospital ships in the Navy, deployed from her layberth in Baltimore, Md., in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on Jan. 10, 2003, and served in the Persian Gulf from March 5-June 21, 2003. A 1,000-bed hospital facility with 12 fully-equipped operating rooms, Comfort treated nearly 700 patients, including U.S. military forces, Iraqi freedom fighters, wounded civilians and enemy prisoners of war.

While deployed to the Middle East, Lt. Paula Godes, MSC, USNR, a Navy physical therapist, and one of more than 1,160 medical personnel stationed aboard Comfort during its activation, wanted to tell the story of Comfort's mission in OIF and acknowledge the heroism and kindness displayed everyday by her fellow shipmates to their patients.

Click on the image for a high-resolution photo.

The Comfort quilt was the brainchild of Lt. Paula Godes, MSC, USNR, a physical therapist aboard USNS Comfort during its deployment in the Persian Gulf. Godes says she was inspired to tell the story of Comfort in OIF "in an artistic way that symbolized the very warmth and comfort we provided. And what symbolizes warmth and comfort better than a quilt?"

An avid quilter whose sewing machine traveled with her to the Middle East, Godes set out to complete a small project commemorating Comfort and her crew. It grew to be much more than that.

As word spread about the quilt, more than 800 people got involved, from other medical personnel aboard Comfort to quilters all across the country who donated fabric and supplies. More than 60 women in a northern Virginia quilters' guild also volunteered their time, stitching the layers of the quilt together after Comfort returned home.

In her keynote address at the ceremony marking the quilt's dedication, Godes said, "This quilt represents over 2,000 hours of work. It is a story that pays tribute not only to the crew of the Comfort but to those we served and cared for -- the Americans, coalition forces and the Iraqis we were sent to liberate."

The Comfort quilt is currently on display at the Women in Military Service Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

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