Jeans blankets offer troops protection, comfort - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Jeans blankets offer troops protection, comfort

PRESCOTT, Ariz. — When Army Spc. Nick Seaman saw a sandstorm approaching during his watch while deployed in Afghanistan, he put on safety glasses and covered himself in the jeans blanket his mother Terri Daniels made him.

Daniels, of Prescott, said Nick, who serves in the Army’s 101st Airborne Air Assault Division, told her the blanket keeps the wind out and keeps him warm.

“I made a jeans blanket for my son the Christmas before he deployed,” said Daniels, who has been making the blankets for two years now. “I wanted to make sure he’d come back each day from what he was doing to find something from home and remember how much we care about him.”

The blankets, made of denim jeans legs on one side and a thick fleece blanket on the other are durable and comfortable, said Rosemary Dery, one of Daniels’ friends.

Then Nick’s squad members told him they liked his blanket, and Daniels started sewing.

“The first year, I made 40 blankets for Nick’s platoon,” Daniels said. “It kept me sane and doing something while I knew what danger he was in.”

Last year, Daniels said she made about 50 jeans blankets for soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“She told me she made the blankets to take her mind off worrying about him,” Dery said.

Photos and thank you notes let Daniels know her blankets are appreciated.

“Just a quick thanks for the blanket and the care package,” wrote Army Lt. Jim Oakes serving in Iraq. “I shared the goodies with my troops. Things like this are appreciated and not taken for granted.”

The family of Marine Lance Cpl. Roberto Reyes sent a photo of himself relaxing under his blanket as he recovers at home in Casa Grande from injuries from an improvised explosive device he encountered while serving in Afghanistan, said Sharon Miller, a co-worker of Daniels at the Mahoney Group.

“My son is also a Marine, and that’s how I met Roberto — when they were in ROTC at Casa Grande Union High School,” Miller said. “I watched Roberto grow up with my son, and I was so upset about him being injured.”

Miller said she told Daniels about what happened to Roberto the next day, and because they both have sons in the service, she knew Daniels would understand.

Daniels asked Miller if she thought Roberto might like a jeans blanket.

“Roberto loved it. It’s going to keep him very warm when he gets back to Virginia,” Miller said. “She put a card in the pocket and when Roberto read it, he got a little teary-eyed.”

The cards read: “This blanket is made from jeans donated by men and women who support our military and appreciated what you do. May it bring you warmth and comfort for many years. You have our back covered, we want to cover yours. Thank you.”

Daniels said at first she had a hard time finding jeans, since it can take up to 18 legs for a blanket, but when word got out people in Chino Valley where she used to live, Prescott where she works, and Phoenix where a nephew lives donated their denim.

“When it comes to getting rid of old jeans, people are hesitant, but they’ll do it for a soldier,” Daniels said. “Many people feel they can’t afford to do stuff now, but they can give up their old jeans to help keep a soldier warm.”

Daniels said the back pockets on the jeans let soldiers store important items or their mp3 players to block out noise while they rest.

“My son said ‘Can you make sure you keep the pockets in there, so we can listen to our iPods and don’t have to hear Morty (mortars) and Arty (artillery) all night?’“ Daniels said.

Before mailing blankets, Daniels said she washes them in fabric softener.

“So when they open up the package, the blanket smells like America — like home — and not like Afghanistan,” Daniels said. “That’s important to them.”

In March, Daniels raffled off four blankets to raise money to mail more blankets to troops.

“One of our officers won a blanket and gave it to his son who was about to deploy,” said Traces Gordon with the Prescott Police Department. “So that blanket went where it was supposed to go.”

Daniels said the jeans blanket project has taken on a life of its own.

“As long as I can sew, I’ll keep doing this,” Daniels said.