"We hope the families will think of these as a hug of love not only from the parents but from people all over the country," said Tink Linhart, project coordinator.

Hawai'i residents helped complete 94 of the red-white-and-blue squares that are pieced together to make the quilts, Linhart said.

A legend on the back of each quilt identifies the maker of each square, but some wanted to be anonymous, she said. On one quilt, the legend contained four yellow squares from caregivers and nurses of Marine Brian Johnson, who was recovering from combat wounds at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Linhart said. They donated the square in honor of Johnson, who had lost a friend in Iraq. The Johnson squares will be included in the friend's quilt, she said.

The completed quilts are a patriotic burst of color, with a red centerpiece, embroidered in gold, identifying the person for whom the quilt was made.

Below the centerpiece is a bald eagle in a circle surrounded by the words "The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten."

Kostic works on a quilt at her home. Nationwide, more than 3,000 patchwork squares have been contributed to the Parent Group of 1/3 quilt project. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

"Men who had never sat behind a sewing machine before would make a block," he said. The participants are "people with all different skill levels who basically said 'Thank you' for giving them an opportunity to express gratitude and their appreciation."

The Linharts came to Hawai'i along with other parents to greet the 1/3 Marines when they returned from their Iraq deployment last week. About a half-dozen parents met at the home of Sharon and Maj. Andrew Kostic, who helped organize the Parent Group and kept them informed about their Marines' activities.

They called themselves Hawaiian Moms, referring to the fact that their children are stationed in Hawai'i. If not for the Parent Group of 1/3, the anxiety suffered when their children were in Iraq would have been worse and certainly more lonely, they said.

The group formed out of a need, said Sharon Kostic, whose husband is the executive officer for 1/3. Parents started calling and e-mailing, and she wasn't going to turn them away.

Julie Allcox of Texas said the group was a lifeline to her son, plus the support through phone calls and e-mails. Whenever they learned from news reports that there were casualties, Kostic would e-mail them to say it wasn't the 1/3, and they would be relieved.

"And then we'd call each other when we're feeling guilty (because) we were relieved," Allcox said.

The support group soon turned its attention to the troops, sending 1,500 cooling wraps they wore around their necks and 7,000 warmers for the winter. The group organized shipments of Christmas cards and stockings and packages of assorted hygiene items.

They raised $100,000 in six weeks to purchase 2,000 Camelbaks (biological and chemically resistant water carriers). The group also delivered a special weapons lubricant for the dusty, hot climate of Iraq.

Betty Ginn of Fort Wright, Ky., said the projects gave her purpose and the Parent Group shored her up at a time that was particularly difficult. She was especially concerned about what her son witnessed in Iraq.

"You don't want your kids to see the destruction and killing," Ginn said. "How are they going to come out of it? It's going to affect them the rest of their lives."

Each quilt will have a square that says: "Like a leaf dropped into a pool, ripples of your loved one's life spread on and on to touch the lives of others. Wishing you peace."