On Thursday, the Arizona coordinator for the Quilts of Valor Foundation, presented me with a Quilt of Valor. A Vietnam vet herself, Jennifer was a surgical nurse, based in Saigon. She lives in Tucson now, and travels around the state to present the quilts. We greeted each other with a "Welcome Home!"
I was unaware of QOV until several days ago when sister-in-law Julie said she had nominated me to receive a quilt. QOV was started in 2003, and over 269,000 quilts have been presented to vets since then. What a great way to recognize veterans for their service and sacrifice!
I was an infantry officer in Nam, advisor to various ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) units in 68-69, and saw a good bit of action. In case you didn't know, Nam vets were harassed, vilified, and spat upon when we returned to the US. We received no 'welcome home', no 'thank you for your service', no anything from either the public or the government. We put our lives on the line for our country and this was our reward! Finally, decades later, we took it upon ourselves to acknowledge and thank our brothers in arms: WELCOME HOME!
The quilts are made of red, white and blue fabric. Many, including mine, have patriotic images and words worked into the design. A personalized note is attached on the back.
Link: https://www.qovf.org/about-qovf/our-history/
