Local quilters contribute Quilts of Valor to Vietnam War anniversary event


Northeast Iowa Quilters Guild members, left to right, Grace Murphy and Janice Shogren work at the sewing machines at Queen Jean Quilting in Waukon to help put together some of the 20-plus quilts heading to Charleston, SC as part of the Quilts of Valor program that will help honor the upcoming 50th anniversary of the 1st LAAM Battalion Bravo battery going into Vietnam. Photo by Brianne Eilers.

by Brianne Eilers
 
Members of the Northeast Iowa Quilters Guild spent Saturday, August 16 working at Queen Jean Quilting in Waukon to put the finishing touches on the Quilts of Valor that are heading to South   Carolina for the 50th Anniversary of the 1stLAAM Battalion Bravo Battery. These men were some of the first Marines to go into Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
Quilter Barbara Davidson, of Decorah, and her husband, Harry, will be taking over 20 quilts to the reunion in Charleston, SC for distribution among the veterans. Harry Davidson was among those first Marines going into Vietnam.
The quilts were made my local quilters (some of whom are pictured in surrounding photos) who volunteered their time and materials to make these Quilts of Valor. The quilts are stored in a matching, handmade pillowcase, and each quilt contains a label on the back with the names of the volunteers who helped to make their quilt.
Quilts of Valor is a program that has been in existence since November of 2003, and with the help of quilters and local quilting groups like the Northeast Iowa Quilters Guild is working towards awarding these special quilts to veterans to show appreciation for their service and to help comfort and heal those who have been wounded physically and psychologically by war.