EUGENE – A Quilt of Valor is not a blanket, according to Bobbie Sanford. A Quilt of Valor is a quality, handmade cover awarded to a service member or veteran who has been touched by war. On May 1, four individuals were draped in the prestigious fabrics during the Emerald Valley Quilters’ Quilt Show.
Quilt of Valor (QOV) started in Maryland in 2003 by Catherine Roberts, whose son was a veteran and had PTSD. She thought maybe he needed a quilt to wrap her love around him as an honor for having served his country. Now, it’s a national organization. QOV volunteers have awarded nearly half a million quilts to veterans.
Sanford is the Oregon District Coordinator for the QOV Foundation. She explained the significance of the quilts.
The quilt is limited to veterans and service members who have been touched by war. The veteran or service member is the only person who can determine if they have been touched by war. Being touched by war does not mean being in a war zone; there could be many reasons.
“You could have lost your best friend over there, and maybe you were supposed to be with him, and you didn’t go, that’s heartbreaking,” Sanford said.
She shared an instance in which a veteran who had received a quilt said he had been having trouble sleeping, but now sleeps better under it.
“The quilt provides honor, comfort, and recognition for all you’ve done for this country. It is priceless. You cannot win one in a raffle,” Sanford said. “We have rescued some from St. Vincent de Paul, and we retire them just as you would a flag. They never get re-awarded.”
The quilt represents a big portion of someone’s life. That person has a responsibility to that quilt. They either take it with them when they pass or hand it down to someone who will cherish the memory of the person it belonged to. Each quilt is registered in a national registry and is uniquely made for the veteran or service member it is given to. They cannot be gifted or sold.
“A lot of these men have carried big burdens for 50 years for being treated poorly, and they thought they were serving their country, and got slapped in the face. So this has been a really restorative thing, I mean, hugely restorative to some of them,” QOV member Ada Weeks said.
Twice a month, volunteers meet at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall in Creswell to sew and work on these special quilts. Sanford said no two quilts are ever identical.
During the presentation and awarding of the quilts, four men stood before the crowd. Don Epperson, Gene Lord, and brothers Bob and John Beck were individually recognized. When it was their turn, each one read their rankings and positions in the places they served from the stitching on the quilt.
Epperson served as the Chief Warrant Officer in the US Navy from 1961 to ’87 and received a Navy Achievement Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and National Defense Service Medal. He fought in the Vietnam War, where he received a Vietnam Campaign Medal and Vietnam Service Medal.
Lord was a Sergeant in the US Army from 1987 to ’92, then in the Oregon National Guard from 1992 to ’02. He was in the 3670th Component Repair Company, where he participated in military operations in Iraq, Kuwait, and Germany. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. He received an Army Achievement Medal for his services.
Lieutenant Colonel Bob Beck served in the US Army from 1970 to ’75. He participated in the Korean 2nd Infantry Division. Bob received a Meritorious Service Medal, a prestigious US military award for outstanding non-combat service or achievement; an Army Commendation Medal, awarded for commendable service, achievement, or acts of heroism; an Overseas Service Ribbon; and an Army Achievement Medal.
John Beck served as a Petty Officer Third Class in the US Navy from 1968 to ’71. During his service, John worked on Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 302 (CBMU-302), which is part of the Navy’s Seabees, the Naval Construction Forces responsible for building and maintaining naval facilities and infrastructure. He earned a National Defense Service Medal, a military award recognizing honorable service during designated periods of national emergency or conflict, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal.
The volunteers who helped create the quilts unfolded them and let the recipients have the first look. Once the audience saw, the volunteers wrapped the quilt around the person who had been touched by war. Some quilts were patterned with eagles, others had red, white, and blue fabrics.
“In the 60s and 70s, we were not welcomed home. Back then, we had to travel in uniform. There were so many times that I had to go through the gauntlet, I had been spit on, called all kinds of nasty names,” Army veteran Bob Beck said. “So this is kind of a welcome home. It’s finally a thanks for what I did. I spent 26 years in uniform, and to me, it was an honor to serve our country, and it’s nice to get recognition for doing that.”
A service member or veteran must be nominated to receive a quilt; it is a lifetime award, and only one is allowed per person. QOV member Barbara Boggs said the waiting list is long, with some veterans scheduled two years out. She also said the quilts are the highest civilian award to honor service members or veterans.
