Area vets presented Quilts of Valor

DAYTON–In celebration of the service, sacrifice and excellence of three local soldiers: John Eaton–U. S. Army; Charles Duane Lowe–U. S. Airforce, Vietnam; and Chet Powers–U. S. Navy, WWII, who served this great country valiantly, selflessly and with integrity, were recently presented with Quilts of Valor, lovingly and purposefully made by Sylvia Demaris.

The Quilt of Valor Foundation began in 2003 by Catherine Roberts as a dream. It was literally a dream. "A dream of a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night hunched over exuding the feelings of despair. There were war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if watching a movie, in the next scene he was wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change." (Quilt of Valor, qovf.org)

The equation and product is: Quilts = Healing.

This is the motivation behind a network of volunteers who donate their time, talents and materials to make quilts. One person would piece the top and the other would quilt it. A team effort. In this quilt, Catherine Roberts saw the name–Quilt of Valor, a QOV.

The Quilt of Valor has a definite standard of excellence, much like to soldiers whose shoulders it wraps around.

"I know a Quilt of Valor had to be a quality-made quilt, not a "charity quilt," stated Roberts. "A Quilt of Valor had to be quilted, not tied, which meant hand or machine quilting. It would be "awarded" not just passed out like magazines or videos, and would say unequivocally, "Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation."