When retired King County Detective Sgt. Keith May won a quilt at a raffle in his hometown of Spiro, Okla., he knew it was special - special because he had never won anything in his 67 years of life, but special, too, because of who made it and why. Crafted by the wives and daughters of former Servicemembers to raise money for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), May knew the care and devotion that went into the yearlong effort. "I didn't win a blanket but a quilt made with honor," he said.

Staring at the 5-by-6 quilt made of 1-foot square panels, May knew it didn't belong in a box. The quilt symbolized a communion - the melding of heart and soul that flowed into every stitch was an act that kept people connected, united - the same way Soldiers operated as one body, in unison, with the same focus. And May should know, he hails from a family steeped in military service as far back as World War I.

Within days of winning, May was inspired. "It's like the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; I wanted the quilt to keep soldiers warm," he said.

The idea: send the quilt to a Solider overseas with instructions that before his tour ended, he'd pass it on to another Servicemember. The hope being that the last unit to withdraw from combat would bring it home. "Whoever is the last man home I'll send him a roundtrip ticket and put him up, too, just so he can present it to the VFW to enshrine," he said. Until then, Soldiers have something that becomes part of their history while reminding of the small comforts of home.

"I could have sent cookies, but with this our men and women in uniform would touch love daily," May said.

In Dec. 2010, May shared his idea with a family member who belongs to the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), and he contacted Army Sgt. Maj. Aldo Galeana in Afghanistan.

"I don't think I deserve such a wonderful quilt," Galeana wrote to May upon receiving it. "This gift and your support means so much, I don't know what to say." When the 23-year veteran left this April, he passed it on to Navy Petty Officer Steven Foran in Kabul. He wrote, "This is absolutely an amazing piece of art. It's beautiful. Thank you." May corresponds regularly with each Soldier and has a file filled with letters and pictures.  

Despite this, May still hasn't told many about the travelling quilt except for his wife, her cousin who helped make it, and the 3-2 SBCT Solider. "I'm just a country boy trying to say thank you. I flabbergasted and awestruck that you even want to write about it," he said. "I thought folks would think it was a silly idea."

The quilt will soon make its way back the U.S., where it will return to Afghanistan with the 3-2 SBCT in December. It only takes one person and a small gesture to begin a legacy.