This past April, when Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray hosted the Town's "Support Our Troops" rally at Newbridge Road Park, attending residents brought patriotic swatches of red, white or blue for a quilt project the Town was publicizing.

The response was overwhelming as the town received nearly 300 patches, making the tribute very personal. Soon after, senior citizens from local centers across the county volunteered hours to piece together the "Spirit of America" quilt, "diverse pieces of fabric woven into a united symbol of strength and resolve."

"Thank you for all your support," US Army Sgt. 1st Class Fred Dana, who is currently serving his 20th year in the military, said. "I've served with pride. The experiences this time and the last time I was over there in Desert Storm have formed me, changed me and made me see things in different ways.

"I want to thank fellow soldiers in the Army, the Marines, the Navy, the Air Force altogether as one, active duty and reservists. Coming home is an experience that you don't get a chance to feel very often. When you're out there, situations are a lot different. When you come home it's an adjustment. It's an adjustment just smelling fresh air. I want to make sure everyone understands that we still have soldiers over there fighting for this country. They're giving the ultimate sacrifice and I'd like to ask you for your continued support," Sgt. Dana, who resides in East Meadow with his wife and children, added.

Hedy Navarro, whose husband Rick is still serving in Iraq as a member of the US Army Military Police Brigade, said, "This is a very proud moment for me. To be here in the unveiling of the 'Spirit of America' quilt. I am extremely proud of all of our men and women who have served overseas and those who have returned home. My husband, Sergeant Rick Navarro, who already served in Desert Storm, is now a reservist who has been called this time to serve Operation Iraqi Freedom."

On active duty since Jan. 19, 2003, Navarro's husband was supposed to return home Nov. 14, 2003. "But that date was just changed for the third time. Now he might be home Feb. 3, 2004," Navarro said with her 3-year-old son Justin by her side.

Sgt. Navarro, who is currently in Baghdad running prison operations in all of Iraq, training new Iraqi police and helping to build more secure prisons, recently sent an e-mail to his wife that read, in part, "Our soldiers are in constant danger day and night. The people who smile and wave at you in the morning are the same people who shoot and wave their guns at you at night ... We all count the days until we're back with our families again. It's when you see the suffering, hunger, tortures, executions, mass graves, literally no freedom of expression in these types of countries that makes us realize how lucky we are to be Americans. People in America do not realize sometimes how good we have it in the good old USA. We grow stronger from American support and we have the greatest admiration, pride and love for the United States of America."

A harsh reality for many men and women currently serving overseas is the intense heat. Navarro's husband sent her a video demonstrating the heat the best way he could. "Two images stayed in my mind. The first image was your everyday average resin chair that was melted from sitting in the sun. The second image was the way bottled water left out in the sun could actually boil, hot enough to make coffee," she said.

In addition to enduring the heat, which could easily reach 140 degrees, men and women have had to make sacrifices. "I believe the hardest sacrifice of all is leaving behind loved ones. For myself, it has been especially hard to know that our 3-year-old son is missing his daddy ... A gathering like this is important. Our soldiers deserve our support.

"I am so proud of my husband and all of the men and women who are serving our country - those who are still there and those who have come home. They are our personal heroes. Not only are they our heroes, they are true American heroes," she said.

As a token of appreciation, Supervisor Murray, on behalf of the town board, presented the reservists and Navarro, who accepted on behalf of her husband, official Town of Hempstead citations, thanking them for their "undying spirit" and "dedication" to the nation.

Upon unveiling the quilt, Supervisor Murray recognized "Spirit of America" quilters for their hard work, including Zina Piazza, Toni Durkin and Marie Cusumano for their extra effort. She also praised Senior Center coordinators April Kodila of Levittown and Lisa Wetterau of Franklin Square for organizing the quilt production.

Navarro, on behalf of the reservists in attendance, including 10 from the 1st Marine Corps base located on Stewart Avenue in Garden City, and Piazza, Durkin and Cusumano, on behalf of the senior quilters, assisted the supervisor in the unveiling.

"The hard work that was put into the production of this quilt surely speaks of the love and dedication that our seniors have for the United States of America and the support we give for the people who defend our freedom," Murray concluded.

The quilt will hang in Town Hall but will eventually make its way to the various senior centers in Nassau. Supervisor Murray would also like to see it exhibited afterwards in community libraries. "The more people who see it, the better it will be," she said.