When Army veteran Myra Williams received a Quilt of Valor, she thought of her former classmates from Section High School who had also served in Vietnam. On Sunday, Nov. 8, 11 of those Vietnam veterans received their own quilts at Bethany Baptist Church, thanks to Williams’ efforts and the volunteers who made them.
Williams served as an Army operating-room nurse in Vietnam from March 1970 to March 1971. She told WAFF 48 that receiving her quilt made her think of classmates whose military service went unrecognized.
Williams worked with the Montgomery Lone Stars, a volunteer group from the Conroe, Texas, area, to arrange the ceremony in her hometown. Group member Dianna Martinez said the volunteers made the quilts presented in Section.
With Veterans Day approaching, members of the Section community joined the veterans’ families at the church to honor the former classmates for their service. The Nov. 8 ceremony came three days before the national holiday honoring all who have served in the U.S. armed forces. Bethany Baptist Church shared photos from the event on Facebook.
The nonprofit Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 while founder Catherine Roberts’ son was deployed in Iraq. Its volunteers make quilts to recognize and comfort U.S. service members and living veterans affected by war, including those who served in combat or cared for the wounded.
The foundation says veterans must have an honorable or general discharge to qualify. Eligible service members and veterans can nominate themselves or have someone else submit a nomination through the foundation’s website.
Among the classmates honored Sunday, was Larry Massey, who spent two years in Vietnam clearing mines. He told the station he relied on his faith each time he approached a mine.
“I cleared mines all the time while I was over there,” he said. “And every time I approached one, I knew that without God and Jesus with me, that that thing may blow me up. But they didn’t.”
Massey said many people don’t realize what veterans went through in Vietnam. He credited his faith with bringing him home.
“We didn’t shirk our duties. We did what we were supposed to do,” Massey said. “And in Vietnam, as we did our job, we walked with God and Jesus Christ. We wouldn’t have made it home without that.”
More than 50 years after his service, Massey said receiving a quilt alongside his former classmates was a moment he had long waited for.
“It makes me feel warm. It’s been a long time coming. We feel like we’ve been ignored for a long time,” he said. “We did what we were called to do.”
Sherri Blevins is a reporter for 256 Today.
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