Twenty six women veterans, both living and dead, were honored in quilts unveiled Monday afternoon in a ceremony at VA Butler Healthcare, 325 New Castle Road.

A year in the making, the three quilts were created from squares each veteran, or her family, designed and dedicated to her memory.

The quilt project was part of Women's History Month, said Louella Anne McKee, patient advocate.

Veterans, or their families, were asked to make a 10-inch-by-10- inch piece illustrating the veteran's service, rank, branch of the military and other facts.

Paula McCarl, voluntary services coordinator, said she and McKee came up with the idea of the quilt.

“We asked the Pieceful Patchers Quilters to put the quilts together and they said yes,” said McCarl.

“We really thought it was an honor to be asked to do this,” said Pieceful Patchers representative Donna Trasker, who was presented a certificate of appreciation for her group's efforts over the past decade including making lap robes and holiday stockings for patients at VA Butler Healthcare.

The quilt project's purpose, said McCarl, was to publicize the accomplishments of women in the service and to show what women can do.

“I came to the get-together to meet new women veterans,” said one veteran, Michelle Wilcox of New Brighton, who served in the Navy from 1974 to 1985.

“I have boot camp pictures, my hospital corpsman's badge, my Vietnam Service medal, my nuclear medicine certificate and a list of my assignments,” said Wilcox of her square.

Wilcox said she also made a square for her mother-in-law, Lorraine Yagelowich Wilcox, who served in the Naval Reserves.

Wilcox said she does not believe women veterans get the recognition they deserve.

But events such as Monday's quilt presentation makes Wilcox think “things are slowly changing, very slowly changing.”

“I think our younger sisters are finally getting us recognized,” she said.

Elizabeth Lochner Jordan of Mars, who served in the Air Force Nurse Corps in Texas from 1957 to 1958 before being discharged due to illness, said, “I appreciate the recognition and the memorial in Washington, D.C. I wish I could have gotten to go.”

“My friend, Kathy Hayes of New Florence, told me about the quilt,” said Marlene Reckling Murty of Laughlintown, Westmoreland County, who served in the Army from 1976 to 1982.

“She asked me if she could make a block for me,” said Murty. “I didn't know anything about it, and told her to go ahead.”

“My block has my name, rank, service dates and hometown of Comstock, Neb.”

After her six-year stint in the Army where she was a personnel manager, Murty in civilian life was also was a volunteer and later curator at the Women in Military Service Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Asked if she thought women didn't get enough recognition for their military service, Murty said, “I think today we are overdue. But I wouldn't have thought back when I was in the Army.

“At that time, the Women's Army Corps was being integrated into the Army. At that point, you just wanted to be known as 'one of the guys.'” said Murty.

“I was in that transition and worked so hard to get there and didn't want to let our predecessors down,” she said.

McCarl said the 4-foot-by-4-foot quilts will be framed and put on display at the health center. They could be joined by more quilts in the future.

McKee said, “There have been other women veterans asking if we are going to do more. We have to. Paula and I never got around to doing our own squares. We are going to be doing another one.”