Local vet honored by Quilt of Valor Foundation

Local veteran Ed Kinsall was honored earlier this month with a Quilt of Valor®, a handmade work of art created to honor his service during the Vietnam War and say, in the words of the foundation, "Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation."

The Quilts of Valor Foundation places its focus on comfort and healing, lovingly creating each civilian award for those veterans who need to know their sacrifice is acknowledged or never heard the words "welcome home".

"I'm still having a hard time describing how I felt, and how I feel now," he says of the experience. "Fifty-two years ago is when I was in Vietnam, and I consider it an honor to have been nominated and to receive the recognition."

Kinsall travelled to Piedmont on Pearl Harbor Day to attend a ceremony alongside nine other veterans.

He was nominated to receive a quilt by fellow vet Dick Turnbull, he says.

"The only qualification to receive a quilt is that the veteran has served in a combat zone," he says.

Kinsall didn't have much time to get used to the idea of being honored – he found out just three days beforehand.

In fact, he says, he discovered the existence of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, was nominated to receive one and attended the ceremony all within the space of a month.

"I didn't really know anything about them until November 4, which was a Saturday. I was helping with the veterans' appreciation day in Sturgis and they happened to have a booth set up," he says.

A chapter of the foundation is located in Rapid City, so the quilt Kinsall received was locally made

"They do the quilting part themselves, and then they send them off to have the matting done and the back put onto it," he says.

"Each quilt that they do for veterans is totally different – no two quilts are alike."

In Piedmont, Kinsall first attended a ceremony, during which each veteran was called up and a brief description of their time of duty, place of enlistment, home town, military awards and other information about their service was given.

Then, each veteran was awarded their unique quilt.

"They want each nominee to either bring two friends or two family members. Since I don't have any family members per se living up here, Bill Davis and Don Dorkus came with me," he says.

There was a reason behind this request.

"The Quilt of Valor people held the quilt up so that everyone could see it, and then the two friends or family members, whichever the case, would take and wrap the quilt around the veteran."

Following the ceremony, Kinsall attended a reception during which he was able to visit with the other veterans, including Turnbull, who himself had been honored with a quilt.

Overall, Kinsall describes it as a moving experience.

"I was a little bit overwhelmed," he says. "At that time, I was still having a hard time talking about [my service]."

Quilts of Valor was started in 2003 by Catherine Roberts of Delaware, whose son was serving in Iraq. One night, she dreamed of a soldier hunched in bed with war demons surrounding him; in the next scene, he was wrapped in a quilt and his demeanor changed to one of hope and well-being.

Roberts believed the message of her dream to be that quilts mean healing. She began a grassroots operation in her home that has now grown to 600 groups in all 50 states with 10,000 members.

Since 2003, an estimated 362,000 quilts have been awarded, each one created by a volunteer. The colors and patterns of the top layer represents all the individuals in our communities; the filler represents warmth, comfort and peace and the backing is the strength that holds it together and represents the strength of the one receiving it.

Every stitch, according to the words of the ceremony, represents love, gratitude and sometimes the tears of the maker.

Kinsall encourages the community to consider nominating a veteran who has been "touched by war" for the award. To do so, visit qovf.org for more information.

"They are constantly looking for veterans to honor," he says.