Quilts of Valor Honors Three Vets

   CRESCO - Three veterans received Quilts of Valor during a ceremony held on Saturday, Aug. 22, in Cresco. They included: Kenneth Whitman, U. S. Army; Nicole Dahl, U. S. Army Reserves and Jeremiah Larson, U. S. Army.

Sandy Thorson was the Master of Ceremonies at the event. Veteran Nate Thorson started the event with a prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and then the National Anthem.

   Sandy explained the importance of the Quilts of Valor to the crowd. The Quilts of Valor Foundation is a volunteer 501c3 non-profit organization.

   “In October 2003, Catherine Roberts founded Quilts of Valor as a result of her eldest son’s upcoming deployment in Iraq,” Sandy Thorson said. “She had a dream about a solider who was sitting hunched over and distraught.    Her next vision in this dream was this solider covered with a quilt and looking comforted and at peace.

   “That is the goal for each quilt presented. Since then, more than 400,000 Quilts of Valor have been presented. Our mission is to cover all those affected by War.

   “The original goal was to cover those currently coming home with physical or emotional effects from war, but now it has come to take into consideration all those who have served and would be affected by war, including those from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, as well as the current wars in the middle east,” Thorson said.

   Sandy explained the three layers of each quilt.

   “The top of the quilt with its many colors, shapes and fabrics, represents the communities and the many individuals we are,” she said. “Each stitch in the quilt represents the love, gratitude and sometimes tears of the make.

   “The batting is the center of the quilt - its warmth. It represents the hope that the quilt will bring warmth, comfort, peace and healing to the individual who receives it.

   “The backing is the strength. It holds the many pieces of the quilt together. It represents the strength of the recipient, his faith in his God, in himself, his or her family our communities and his nation.

   “A Quilt of Valor is priceless. It can never be bought. It should never be sold. It is not a birthday gift or present in any form. A Quilt of Valor is not a charity quilt. It is not a blanket. It is an award to honor those who have served and comes from the heart of the makers and their community.

   “And so, though we may never know the depth of their sacrifice to protect and defend the United States of America, as a gesture of gratitude our behalf of the Quilt of Valor Foundation, we would like to award a group of veterans today with a Quilt of Valor to thank them for their service and sacrifices for our nation.

   “May your Quilt of Valor be a healing and comfort to each of you when you need it, and a continual reminder that we honor and thank you for your service and sacrifice,” Thorson said.

Following her remarks, Sandy Thorson presented each veteran (Kenneth Whitman, Nicole Dahl and Jeremiah Larson) with a quilt by draping it over their shoulders.