Three more veterans received Quilts of Valor in recognition of their service to the nation. The ceremony was held Tuesday, March 19 at the Keokuk American Legion Hall, during the regular monthly meeting. Meryl Brewer of Keokuk was there to conduct the ceremony on behalf of Patriotic Quilters of Southeast Iowa. All three recipients served during the Vietnam Era: Dr. Phil Caropreso, William McAllister, and Jerry Morgan.
Caropreso was in the Army from 1964 to 1970, and served at an evacuation hospital in Syracuse, New York, and at nearby Fort Drum.
McAllister is a Navy veteran who served his country from 1959 to 1963 riding the waves for extended periods on a destroyer,
Morgan started in the Air Force, stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He later joined the National Guard and retired after 22 years of service.
The Quilts of Valor Foundation is the parent organization of the Patriotic Quilters of Southeast Iowa.
The Quilts of Valor® Foundation began in 2003, when founder Catherine Roberts’ son returned from Iraq and she noticed a marked difference in his well-being when he wrapped himself in a gifted quilt (quiltingdaily.com; qovf.org). Since that time, 377,750 quilts have been created and presented to veterans in many parts of the world. Brewer stated that there are chapters all over the United States, as well as Canada, Australia, and Great Britain. “When I joined in 2015, 57,120 had been given to veterans,” she said. “Since then tens of thousands have been added to that number and our chapter alone has made 1,039 of them to date.”
Lori Wildrick, a fellow member of the Patriotic Quilters of Southeast Iowa lives in Elvaston, Illinois, and has a unique role in the creation of these quilts. She owns a long arm quilt machine, and after the top and bottom pieces of a quilt are made, batting is placed in the middle and the whole quilt is sewn together using a long arm. There are only a few long arm quilters in the chapter, said Brewer, and they are affectionately known as “LongArmys.”
Every quilt comes with a certificate sewn onto the back, which lists who made it, from what organization, a unique number, and other data. Each quilt is a one-of-a-kind creation and is to be used, not just set in a closet. Judging from the appreciation shown by these there veterans, there is no danger of their quilt being anywhere by near them.
