HAHNVILLE, La. (AP) -- The dust and grime from Ground Zero embedded in a Pennsylvania Veterans Affairs police officer's patch hold a special place in the heart of a Destrehan woman who has dedicated her life to creating a quilt commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.
``This patch is stained in his blood, sweat and tears as he searched for those who didn't make it,'' said Dee Dee Serpas, a retired law enforcement officer. ``This is my way of remembering the sacrifices of my brothers and sisters who dedicated their lives to law enforcement.''
About 20 St. Charles Parish residents trickled into the Hahnville Volunteer Fire Department on a recent Monday evening to view the first public display of ``The Last Call Memorial,'' a quilt adorned with patches representing police, fire and emergency service departments from all 50 states and countries as far as South Korea, Guam and Scotland.
NASA sent patches commemorating the 1986 Challenger and 2003 Columbia space shuttle disasters.
``This quilt is nice and crafty,'' said Kenneth Thompson, a Bayou Gauche volunteer firefighter. ``I am getting ideas for a new patch for our department.''
Through her Web site and a massive e-mail campaign, Serpas has collected more than 1,700 patches since October 2001. Of those, she has sewn on 764 patches by hand, creating a quilt that extends more than 30 feet in length.
``At first they began coming in one by one,'' Serpas said as she pointed to one of the first patches she received, from a friend in Iceland. ``After a while hundreds of patches began pouring in.''
The latest patches Serpas has received are from the Bayou Gauche, Paradis and Luling volunteer fire departments.
Most of the patches are in the design of traditional law enforcement emblems crafted in the shape of a state, but others display humorous depictions of cartoon characters such as Popeye and Oscar the Grouch from two fire departments in New York.
``Some of the patches I received were torn straight off of the uniforms,'' Serpas said. ``You could still see the threads hanging.''
Serpas, a third-generation law enforcement officer, served as a reserve police officer with the East Jefferson Levee District, a reserve officer for the Kenner Police Department and a deputy sheriff with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office before retiring in 1990 because of medical problems.
Despite her physical limitations, the red pricks on Serpas' fingertips show her commitment to this project.
It takes her 10 hours to sew five rows of nine patches on the nylon quilt. Serpas is grateful that the embroidery thread and massive bolts of material were donated.
``She eats, sleeps and breathes this project every day,'' said Delores Serpas, Dee Dee's mother.
Serpas said she would love to see the quilt displayed in Baton Rouge at the state Capitol, ground zero or Disney World.
However, she said she has sent e-mail to all 50 governors and no one has responded.
``If anyone will host it, we will come,'' Serpas said.
Serpas said there is a space on the commemorative quilt for all law enforcement-related agencies, including the Coast Guard, correctional officers and Border Patrol.
``The quilt will never be finished,'' she said. ``As long as there is an agency out there that is not represented, there will always be something to be sewn.''
