Four area veterans awarded Quilts of Valor at ceremony
by Susan Cantine-Maxson
Picket Fence Patriotic Piecers, headquartered in Prairie du Chien, WI, held a Quilts of Valor award ceremony at the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing Sunday, June 26. Quilters Sue Lynch, Judy Schild and Edie Hogan presented quilts to four local veterans, including Carl Clancy, Bill Ferring, Michael Boland and Paul Styve.
Carl Clancy served from 1962-1966 in the U.S. Navy. He said he and two friends signed up together on the buddy plan and they were together for a day and a half before they were split up. The Cuban Missile Crisis happened during his tour. He was trained as a communication technician and spent his final years in the service in Cyprus.
Bill Ferring served from 1968-1969 in the U.S. Army after being drafted. The last part of his tour was spent in Korea.
Michael Boland entered the U.S. Army in 1968 and served in the signal corps until 1971, primarily in Vietnam. He said that it was a family tradition to be a part of the military.
Paul Styve served in the U.S. Army from 1982-1986, primarily in southeast Asia. He worked with military intelligence in Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan.
Quilts of Valor began in 2003. Lynch emphasized that the quilts are an award from private citizens to honor those who have served. During the first three years, 100 quilts were awarded. By 2018, 200,000 quilts had been awarded. This year the 300,000th quilt was awarded. Veterans who have been “touched by war” are eligible for this award.
Last year, the group headed by Lynch out of Prairie du Chien, WI awarded 400 quilts. All materials and labor are donated. The quilts honor the service and sacrifice of those who serve. They represent a “welcome home” to all the service people. Each quilt, which typically has a patriotic or personalized theme, has a label which states the recipient’s name, the maker’s name, and the date and place the quilt was awarded.
The stitches symbolize the love, gratitude and tears of the maker, the batting symbolizes the warmth and comfort the quilt offers to the recipient and the backing represents how the services hold all the pieces together. As each veteran is awarded their quilt, they are wrapped in the quilt as a symbolic hug from a grateful nation.
Anyone wishing to participate in quilting or who knows a veteran they would like to nominate should contact Sue Lynch at 608-306-0924.
