Ronald Reagan once said, “Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world. A Veteran doesn’t have that problem.”
Men and women who enlist in the military are ready to give selflessly of themselves to protect others. They know when they join that they will be asked to make sacrifices, yet they choose to serve, some in times of war and others in times of peace. Some serve overseas while others stay state-side. But no matter how, when, or where they served, we owe them all a debt of gratitude. Since 2003, Catherine Roberts and her ever-growing group of volunteers have been showing their appreciation by presenting Veterans with Quilts of Valor. Recently, 2001 Eagle Grove High School graduate Bryan Dayton, a resident of Woolstock, was honored to be one of the recipients.
Quilts of Valor began after Roberts had a dream one night of a man sitting on the edge of his bed, bent over, with feelings of “utter despair.” Her son, Nat, was serving in Iraq at the time.
“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 desperation to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change,” explained Roberts in a letter attached to Dayton’s quilt.
She believes the message of that dream was that quilts can bring healing and she wanted to help soldiers heal from their experiences, so she began making quilts.
The very first Quilt of Valor was presented to a young soldier from Minnesota at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in November 2003. But it wasn’t just any old quilt that she threw together quickly.
“I knew it had to be a quality-made quilt, not a ‘charity quilt.’ A Quilt of Valor had to be quilted, not tied, which meant hand or machine quilting. It would be ‘awarded,’ not just passed out like magazines or videos, and would say explicitly ‘Thank you for your service, sacrifice, and valor in serving our nation,’” explained Roberts.
Dayton is still at somewhat of a loss of words about receiving his Quilt of Valor in mid-February.
“It’s humbling that someone would go out of their way to make a quilt for someone they don’t know…it’s pretty cool that people are still thinking about Veterans,” he said. “Anything people do for Veterans is a cool feeling.”
Dayton explained that not only was it an amazing feeling to receive such a “comforting, awesome quality quilt,” but it was a special experience visiting with the gentleman, Rod Beem, who interviewed him for the award. Beem served with the United States Army – Specialist 4th Class First Calvary, Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam, 1970. Dayton said the two of them sat and talked for quite a while about their experiences and lives after he finished his interview questions.
Dayton, who was in the United States Marine Corp from 2002 – 2006, and in the Reserves until 2010 when he received an Honorable Discharge, said he always knew that he was going to join the military, but after the 9-11 attacks, he was even more ready to go.
“I couldn’t get there fast enough after that,” he said.
After boot camp, his MOS was 0311, Infantry Rifleman. His assignment – Light Armored Reconnaissance Scout. His overseas deployments included Iraq (twice), Kenya, Guam, Australia, Singapore, and several others. When he completed his enlistment, he was an E-4 Corporal.
Dayton was nominated for the Quilt of Valor by his mom, Missie Niederhauser, two years ago. Despite the many volunteers, there is a long waiting list for these highly coveted quilts. Dayton knew his mom had nominated him and was beyond grateful when he actually received one.
“I really appreciate it. It’s a really nice, awesome quilt…and I love quilts,” said Dayton. “Every time you grab it and use it, you think about the story and meaning behind it, which makes it really special.”
For the past two years, Dayton has made it part of his own life now to be involved with helping other Veterans through the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. It’s a nationwide organization that is made up of men and women that have verified combat experience either having been in combat or deployed to a combat area. The group focuses on Veterans who need a little assistance, whether they be in care facilities or just in need of someone to help with groceries or paying the heating bill. He said he was unaware of the group until one day in Walmart he saw a man that had a Combat Vets patch on. He was curious as to what it meant, went home and Googled it, and in his words, “thought this is awesome and joined.”
“I got into it becasue I’ve lost a lot of friends to suicide and seen guys down on their luck after they’ve gotten out, so I want to do whatever I can to help them out.”
Dayton is also trying to recognize other Veterans by paying it forward with his own Quilt of Valor nominations, knowing what an honor it is to have one, knowing people appreciate you and want to bring you some peace and healing.
Since 2003, the Quilt of Valor Foundation has welcomed more than 10,000 volunteer members as part of 600 different groups located across all 50 states. But it was an event in 2009 that Roberts said changed the idea of who should be eligible to receive a quilt. A group of women had gathered at a quilting retreat in Washington. One of their activities for the weekend was to award quilts at an event called “American Veterans Tribute and Traveling Wall Exhibit” in Bellingham. They couldn’t find a group from “Operation Enduring Freedom” or “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” whom they had originally intended to give the quilts to. They did find, however, a group of Vietnam Veterans who were there to perform a “Patriotic Guard” ride on their motorcycles past the Vietnam traveling memorial wall. Roberts shared their reactions when they received the Quilts of Valor.
The Vietnam Vets could repeatedly be heard saying, “Ma’am, this is the first time in forty years anyone has ever thanked me for my service.” As Roberts put it, “The light of inclusion dawned and the Quilts of Valor Foundation began awarding all service members and veterans, no matter when or where they served.
The Quilts of Valor Foundation’s hard work and dedication to their mission of bringing healing and gratitude has allowed them to award more than 267,000 Quilts of Valor to active service members, as well as Veterans, located throughout the U.S. and abroad. Quilts of Valor have traveled from the U.S. to war-stricken areas, been carried by medics in mobile hospital units, awarded on aircraft carriers and on forgeign soil.
The Quilts of Valor Foundation is always looking for more quilt makers. To learn how you can participate, or to learn more about how to apply for a quilt, visit https://www.qovf.org/
