By Pat Maurer
Correspondent
Clare County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Steve Sentz, a ten-year member of the Road Patrol Division, was honored with a “Quilt of Valor” recently.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Steve served between 2004 and 2010 as a Military Policeman and served during Operation Freedom in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010.
With the quilt, Steve was given a certificate saying, “The Quilts of Valor® Foundation wishes to recognize you for your service to our nation. We consider it our privilege to do so. Though we may never know the extent of your sacrifice to protect and defend the United States of America, we award you this Quilt of Valor as an expression of gratitude from a grateful nation.”
The certificate was signed by Lori Thompson, Executive Director of the QOV Foundation and Judy Tritten, Volunteer Presenter for the QOV.
A Blue-Star Mom, Catherine Roberts first had the idea in 2003 to honor our veterans and active-duty military members with a Quilt of Valor to comfort and heal them. At that time her son was honored in Iraq. Her dream became a reality when in November of that year, a young soldier from Minnesota, who lost his leg in Iraq, was awarded the first Quilt of Valor.
The Foundation, found in all 50 states, is made up of mostly volunteers who create quilts, present quilts, donate fabric or work behind the scenes. Each quilt has a special label which tells the story of the quilt and of the recipients service to the United States.
In the 19 years since that first presentation, QOV has presented 300,000 quilts. Their hope is to make that total 500,000 by their 20th anniversary this year.
You can honor a favorite veteran on active duty by contacting any veteran’s organization who will put you in touch with a local volunteer, or pick up information in the Veterans Freedom Park building in Harrison.