My Dad gets a Quilt of Valor
 

Martha Smith, SE Kansas QOV Coordinator & QOV Helper Lisa drove 60 miles in a light snow to make this presentation to my 91 yr old WWII combat veteran dad, Dick Gage. I'm in pink, brother on far right. It was really a great thing. He thanked the ladies, and then said to me "I darn near got killed in that war"!! That is only the 2nd time he's ever mentioned the war at all. Do any of you make QOV?

Reading this and seeing your dad in that beloved quilt made me get choked up. Precious thing you did for him.

That is wonderful! Thank him for us for serving the USA. He deserves much more than we could ever give him.

Bless his heart! My father is also 91 and a WWII vet, so I know how proud you are of his service.

I have made many quilts and blocks for our military heroes...it's the least I can do for them to repay what they do for us.

Thanks to your dad for his service. We can never ever adequately express our appreciation to those who have and do fight so hard for this great country of ours.

Jeanette Frantz

I just quilted and bound one. I was very nervous about it because I want it to be perfect. Friday is the day it is presented to it's new owner.

This is a great cause, and I am thrilled that your Dad was able to be awarded one.

Great photo! Thank him for his service to our country. lovely quilt.

Great quilt for a great man!!!!

I have made a couple quilts and helped on a couple more. It makes you feel good to give something back to the wonderful men and women who help keep freedom free. Thanks to all of them. I only wish I could do more.
Skue

I have made over a dozen QOV but my best friend has made over 100. Give your Dad a hug from me whose Dad served in the South Pacific as a Marine. My Dad didn't talk at all about WWII either. Only when the TV show Baa Baa Black Sheep came out, he told me a little about the air operation with Pappy Boyington.

Thanks to your Dad for his service. My dad was also a WWII vet but has passed on. He didn't talk much about his time in the war, either, except I know he was on a submarine in the Pacific. He would be 90 this year if he was still living. I have made a couple of patriotic quilts donated through my guild to wounded vetrans at Fort Lewis in Washington state. It is a very small thing to show appreciation but it means a lot to them.

Wow! Bet he enjoyed that!

How wonderful! Thanks for the great picture.

I've done many quilts for our soldiers and veterans, it's always an honor to do one of these!

That's a great picture. Please thank your Dad for his service. I've made QOV through a Quilt Club I belonged to and I also donate red, white and blue afghans through the Linus Program. It's the least we can do for the people who keep our Country free.

My father would be 90 but he died 4 years ago. He was a Marine and served in the South Pacific, also. It's funny, he wouldn't talk about his time in the service either. I wonder why these great men didn't want to talk about serving their country? It must have been very hard on them.

How wonderful that your father was honored in this way. We can never, ever repay our veterans for their sacrifices and service, but a QOV is a great way to express our appreciation.

My uncle just passed away a few months ago at age 89...he was a pilot flying bombers from England during WWII. He never talked about the war to his boys or anyone while we were growing up...it has only been the last 5 years that we have heard all about it. When his mind started to leave, his long term memory was the only thing that worked....so, we heard about his missions....and especially about the fact that he flew his bomber on Jimmy Stewarts wing on some missions.

I LA for American Hero Quilts...I have done ten in the past several months. They are much the same as the QOV program, and the ladies' quilts I have done have been gorgeous. (I'm on a little hiatus right now to take care of some (more) medical problems, but hopefully will be back at it soon...). Tell your Dad "thank you" for me as well!

I belong to a quilting group. We just had a quilt show and around 45 QOV were presented. I gave mine to my cousin, a Viet Nam Vet. :)

I've made one quilt for veterans and it made me feel good. Way cool to see him getting a great quilt!

How Neat is that!! Thanks ladies for you honoring this special person. We have so few of the "Greatest Generation" left now. Wish your dad a Happy Veteran's Day, and give him a kiss, hug and special THANKS from me for serving our country. I would like to THANK all of our VETS for their special service, so that I might be able to just be a part of this world today and this QB, without their service none of us might be able to do this today. I prepare the Church Bulletin each week for our Church and I have always had a special section for Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, listing the Vet's in our Church. We only have a few left now, but at one time we had about 15 WWII Vets in our congregation.

I thank him for his service. Congratulations.

Beautiful quilt for a handsome HERO. Thank you, Dick Gage! I have made quilts for QOV, and it is wonderful to see a photo of a deserving recipient---gives me chills. Thank you for posting.

yes I make them... and love every minute of it... my husband was in the air force and we both know what the service families fight for and live through... God Bless them all... and God bless all the quilters who help make these wonderful quilts...
hugs
quiltinmama

God Bless him, and look at those cowboy boots. Please thank him for his service. I have several uncles and brothers who served in WWII and Korea and Viet Nam. They never talk about the war either.

Plese Thank your Father for serving on our behalf. My Father was also a WWII Vet. I have contributed fabric to my "local" QOV group. I also make quilts for our newest, wounded Vets in the Middle East Hospitals, through Operation Quiet Comfort. I made 50 Christmas Stockings for another Vet group. Last year, I assisted the DAR in making 26 quilts for our Veteran's Hospital. So many ways to help- large and small. Google "Charity Sewing" and you will never be bored or have "too much fabric" !

I hope that you will pass on all these THANK YOU's to your Dad. They are sincere but don't begin to express the gratitude we owe to the Greatest Generation.

What a wonderful gift for your Dad, and a great remembrance of his service to his country. I had 5 brothers who served their country, 4 in the Air Force during the Korean War, and the youngest joined the National Guard, served during the Viet Nam war. Also my husband was in the Air Force and served in Viet Nam for a year. Not all veterans want to talk about their war experiences, some are just too painful - I think I can count on one hand the number of times my husband talked about his year in Viet Nam. The QOV are a great way to honor our service men and women for their sacrifices.

This pic is special... the quilt is special...& the Veteran is SPECIAL>>>
My Dad was also in WWll and would not talk of his war days. My aunts
have filled me in on his time in war... Thanks for sharing

Ditto.Please give your father a hug from my family and thank him for his service. I don't think that we do enough for these men and women. God Bless. BrendaK

I agree 100%. If we had a like button, I'd use it!

Yes I have made one but I have quilted 60 or 70 for are guild/women club. It makes you fell good when you see them receive them their faces just light up. I'm glad I can do this for the men and women who help us keep are freedom. THANK YOU!

Give your Dad a hug from me and thank him for his sacrifices and let him know how much I appreciate his service.
My Dad was in the Navy, he served in Korea and Vietnam, my husband is a Marine and thankfully didn't see combat.
I'm one the of "Thank You Quilters", we make quilts for recuperating soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. I've made 10 quilts in the last 4 years. We've recently begun making them for the children of the soldiers, they often need them as badly as their parent does. We get donations of fabric,quilts and quilt tops from across our nation.
Sharon
http://www.thankyouquilters.org/

This is a wonderful program and I think a wonderful quilt he got for his service. My dad is buried in a veteran's cemetery forty miles away from reno now. I have his quilt stored in my linen closet. Maybe I will donate it to this cause. Something to think about anyway. I have a nephew and a grandson serving now and have plans to make them one soon.

Your dad looks so happy with his quilt. God bless that lady for making such a sacrifice to get it to him.

Aww, that made me teary. I have a special place in my hearts for veterans and current military, not the least of whom are my two sons (US Navy)
God bless your father and please pass along my thanks for his service.

Thank your father for his service. QOV have high standards for the workmanship they pass on to our soldiers. I have never attempted a QOV but do hundreds of blocks for the ONE STAR PROJECT. Both are worthy of our donations. Your father got a very nice quilt that I hope warms him for years.

My husband is a 94 year old veteran of the Italian Campaign and the Anzio invasion of January, 1943. He didn't talk about the war for years and the only indication of what might have happened was his nightmares when January came around. Then on the 30th anniversary of the war he opened up and told us about and compiled a complete archive of his experiences, including maps, photos, descriptions and wonderful art work (he's a graduate of Pratt Institute). His nightmares stopped. Now we have a complete record of his experiences that our kids and grandkids appreciate. And they have an understanding of the war they couldn't have had before. He's in the 13th year of Alzheimers now, but he sometimes talks about the invasion, and yesterday just started talking almost nonstop about his experiences, almost a miracle since it's hard for him to form sentences. If you can persuade your veteran of any war to do the same it would be a favor to the family and posterity. You can't honor them too much for their bravery and sacrifice. They were just ordinary kids doing an extraordinary thing that saved our freedom.

Oh that is sew cool, I am honored to have the opportunity to hear part of your dad's story, thank your dad for me. I have made a few (19) small QOV. He and all the other vets and those serving currently, contributed to our freedom many sacrifices were/are made by them and their families. thanks to all.