Nov 23, 2021 7:05 PM

The Color of Valor

Posted Nov 23, 2021 7:05 PM
Burlington resident Ronald Mehaffy, who served in the National Guard from 1953 to 1955, and the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1957, reacts to the quilt he received from the Southeast Iowa chapter of the Quilts of Valor.
Burlington resident Ronald Mehaffy, who served in the National Guard from 1953 to 1955, and the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1957, reacts to the quilt he received from the Southeast Iowa chapter of the Quilts of Valor.

Story and photos by William Smith

The Quilts of Valor Foundation’s local chapter –  the Patriotic Quilters of Southeast Iowa – got off to a modest start in 2015, with only three members.

Now the charity organization, which does nothing but produce brand new quilts for military veterans, is 61 members strong.

The organization has given away nearly 700 quilts since its inception six years ago, and awarded four of the extravagant coverings to four area veterans Friday night (Nov. 12) at the Eagles Club.

Burlington resident Tim Ruberg, who served the U.S. Army as a radio repairman in Germany, receives his quilt from the Southeast Iowa chapter of the Quilts of Valor charity.
Burlington resident Tim Ruberg, who served the U.S. Army as a radio repairman in Germany, receives his quilt from the Southeast Iowa chapter of the Quilts of Valor charity.

Arlyss Fritz, coordinator for the southeast Iowa chapter of the charity, worked alongside fellow volunteers to drape the quilts around the shoulders of the veterans.

They were met with thankful smiles.

Fritz said the charity’s mission to provide quilts to every veteran they can is never ending. “A veteran, whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve, is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check, made payable to the United States of America, for an amount up to, and including, his or her life. That is valor.”

Montrose resident and state senator Jeff Reichman receives his quilt from the Southeast Iowa chapter of Quilts of Valor. Reichman, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, served in the United States Marine Corps for 28 years, which included two tours in Iraq.
Montrose resident and state senator Jeff Reichman receives his quilt from the Southeast Iowa chapter of Quilts of Valor. Reichman, who holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, served in the United States Marine Corps for 28 years, which included two tours in Iraq.