EVANSTON — Local Vietnam veterans Robert Grant and Patrick Thompson were given special recognition by the Quilts of Valor Foundation on Tuesday, Aug. 15, at a ceremony held in front of the war memorial at the county complex. A group of family members and friends attended the ceremony.

Jennifer P. Lee, representing Northern Utah Beehive (quilting) Group, from Sandy, Utah, came to present the quilts and medals at the ceremony in Evanston. Lee addressed the two veterans.

“A quilt of valor is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted,” she said. “It is awarded to a service member or veteran who has been touched by war. The quilt is registered and printed on the tag sewn on it are the words, ‘Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.’” 

Lee, assisted by her friend, Tana Henderson, unfolded the first quilt and placed it around Grant’s shoulders as he stood up from his wheelchair. They then unfolded the second quilt and placed it around Thompson’s shoulders. Both men stood side-by-side as Lee told them she had an official Vietnam War Commemoration for each of them.

“Pres. Obama had these medals designed as a national initiative to finally thank veterans for their service in Vietnam. The Pentagon has accepted the Quilts of Valor Foundation as a partner for the sole purpose of awarding these pins,” Lee said.

She told the two men and the audience the meaning behind the symbols engraved on the medals, “The Eagle on the front of the pin represents courage, honor and dedicated service. The blue circle matches the canton of the American flag and signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice. The circle shape and blue color also match the official seal of the commemoration. The laurel wreath is a time-honored symbol representing victory, integrity, and strength. The stripes behind the eagle represent the American flag. The stars represent the six allies who served, sacrificed and fought alongside one another, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and the U.S. And what others won’t see when it is pinned on you, is the message on the back which will be closest to your heart. The words on the back of the pin are, ‘A grateful nation thanks and honors you.’”

Lee then pinned the medals on Grant and Thompson as the audience applauded.

The Quilts of Valor began in 2003, with a dream of founder Catherine Roberts. Her son, Nat, had been deployed to Iraq. Roberts had a dream where she saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night. He was hunched over and in apparent despair and she saw “war demons” surrounding him and pulling him down in emotional distress.

Then just like in a movie, Roberts said, the next scene she saw was the same young man wrapped in a quilt and his whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The message of the dream for Roberts was “quilts equal healing.”

Roberts developed a model for making the quilts. A volunteer team would donate time and materials to make the quilt. One person would piece the top and another would put a back on it and quilt it. Roberts created the name for these special quilts — the Quilt of Valor. To use the term Quilt of Valor (QOV) the quilt must be a specific size, and must have a label with required information, it must be awarded in a ceremony and it must be recorded.

On April 20, 2022, QOV awarded the 300,000th quilt. QOV has 10,000 members across 600 groups in all 50 states in the U.S. who donate their time. QOV quilts have been awarded throughout the U.S. and overseas. There are volunteers in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia and interest is growing in New Zealand and South Korea.