HARDWICK – Seven members of the Hardwick American Legion Post #7 received Quilts of Valor (QoV) at the post’s first ceremony awarding them, April 11.
photo courtesy American Legion Post #7
The annual birthday supper included a celebration of America’s 250th birthday and membership recognition presentations along with the QoV ceremony.
American Legion Family Department Leadership joined for the free meal.
Seven service members receiving QoV were Army National Guard veterans Sgt. Roger “Red” Goodrich, 2nd Lt. John J. Quinn, Sgt. Matthew J. Greaves, Sgt. David A. Colburn, Spec. Isaac O. Marsh, Sgt. 1st Class Ivan S. Menard (serving in his 40th year), and Marine Corps veteran Sgt. Edward I. Slayton.
A Quilt of Valor® (QOV) is a handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a service member or veteran who has been touched by war. The quilt is awarded by the post to say, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.”
The Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream when founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq.
According to Roberts, “the dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change.”
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
