Veterans are nominated through our national
www.QuiltsOfHonor.org website almost daily - whether by a fellow Vet, family, friend or someone who admires them greatly. When that nomination comes through, we make a determination, based on a few qualifiers but more specifically, the answer to our question,
"This Veteran deserves a Quilt Of Honor because...?"
The answer to that question tells us volumes. One particular nomination stated that
this Vietnam Veteran deserves a quilt because soon, he may be laying down his life and giving the ultimate sacrifice as a result of his service in the Air Force in Vietnam, as a result of exposure to Agent Orange. Unfortunately, we see this more than we would like.
It was more than apparent, this Veteran deserved to be honored for his sacrifice and service to our country through the awarding of a Quilt Of Honor.
Much advanced planning, designing, creating and care goes into each and every Quilt Of Honor Award event. Just one Quilt Of Honor can take 3-6 months to create by several Volunteers. Then comes the QOH Award documents that need to be carefully prepared, the presentation must be written to include specific details about each Veteran and their Military Service, in addition to the Quilt Of Honor Award Event itself, and the necessary planning of each and every detail by those who will be hosting such an event.
And while we try to attend as many Quilt Of Honor Award Events as we possibly can, due to scheduling, geographic limitations, and even the weather, there will always be a few we simply cannot attend and must enlist the help of a volunteer - possibly a fellow Veteran, family, friend or even the Quilt Of Honor nominator.
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| The Awarding of a Quilt Of Honor to Vietnam Air Force Veteran, Kenneth |
That is what happened with this Vietnam Veteran, Kenneth's nomination by Thomas. Soon after discussions began about
'where/when' this Quilt Of Honor Event would take place, with time being a factor as the Veteran's Day Celebrations were fast approaching and most events had already been scheduled months in advance, it became apparent that Thomas would need to help award the Quilt Of Honor he had nominated Vietnam Air Force Veteran Kenneth to receive.
Not everyone initially embraces the idea of public speaking, and most prefer to have 'someone else' conduct a Quilt Of Honor Award Event. However, we have discovered that once a Volunteer is given the proper tools to conduct a professional Quilt Of Honor Award event, they
'Step Up' and do a wonderful job honoring their Veteran.
Such was the case with Thomas. Even though he may have preferred that one of us came to conduct Kenneth's Quilt Of Honor Award, Thomas was so determined to honor this Veteran properly, and for
EVERYTHING to be perfect for this event, he
'Stepped Up' and conducted a beautifully done Quilt Of Honor Award event for Vietnam Veteran, Kenneth.
And in our humble opinion, when this happens, not only is it a beautiful thing, the Quilt Of Honor Award event itself is much more meaningful for
everyone involved.
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| Quilt of Honor Award Recipient w/Family |
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| QOH Award Recipient w/Dear Family Friend - Granddaughter of Thomas |
Thank YOU, Thomas. And
Congratulations, Kenneth on your Quilt Of Honor Award!
And Thanks to each and every one of our Combat Service Members and Veterans for their sacrifice and service for our country.
Each year, as we remember and honor our
Veterans around our great nation, it is also important to bear in mind that our
Veterans have sacrificed so much so we may enjoy significant Freedoms,
available ONLY to those who reside as citizens of these United States of
America.
To quote a recent passage written by a Veteran and
shared with Illiana Quilts Of Honor:
It is the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given
us Freedom of the Press.
It is the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us
Freedom of speech.
It is the Veteran, not the campus organizer who has
given us the Freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Veteran, who salutes the flag, who serves
beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the
protester to burn the flag.
~D
Dog, JR.; Nation in Distress
We are eternally grateful to our Veterans who provide the very
Freedoms we enjoy daily in our Great Nation, along with our selfless Volunteers who
'Step Up' to honor and serve them for their sacrifice and service to our country.
If you would like to
Nominate a Veteran to be awarded a
Quilt Of Honor,
Please submit your QOH Nomination through this direct web link:
http://www.quiltsofhonor.org/quilt-request/
Help Us Honor our Veterans: https://illianaquiltsofhonor.blogspot.com/p/help-us-honor-our-vets.html Thank YOU for your Support.
To become an
Illiana Quilts Of Honor Volunteer,
Please Contact:
Deborah Lindley/Chapter Coordinator
Illiana Quilts of Honor
217.264.2051 (Direct)
IllianaQuiltsOfHonor@gmail.com
IllianaQuiltsofHonor.blogspot.com
"Striving to Honor our Illiana Combat Veterans one Quilt of Honor at a time...Come Join Us!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/IllianaQuiltsofHonor
