Basin vets honored with quilts

MOSES LAKE — Some Basin veterans were honored Monday, not with medals or a parade, but with quilts.

“Many people see beautiful quilts and admire the colors and patterns and stitching, but it is much more than fabric and thread,” said Jenn Tincher, who leads Soap Lake Freedom Quilts of Valor. “Every quilt represents countless hours of planning, cutting, piecing, quilting, binding, labeling and praying. It carries with it the hands and the hearts of us volunteers who may never have served in the military ourselves, but we want to thank you and let you know that your sacrifices have not been forgotten. Each stitch is a reminder that someone cares, someone remembers you and someone is very grateful for what you have done.”

Quilts of Valor met at Grace Harvest Church in Moses Lake to present quilts to 13 Basin veterans, of whom seven were able to be present. The quilts’ designs were varied: some were simple triangle or square patterns; others had flag motifs. One quilt had stars and stripes surrounding a bald eagle with a U.S. flag behind him. Each had been created by a team of seven ladies from the area who collaborate to pick the patterns, cut the fabric and assemble them. Those are matched up with veterans who either are nominated by somebody local or reach out through the organization’s website. Once 10 or so veterans have been nominated, the quilters hold a ceremony where they not only present the quilt to the veteran but actually wrap him up in it.

As each veteran received his quilt, he was invited to say a few words if he wanted. Arthur Page had gotten out of the Marine Corps last year, he said, and William Carruthers served three years in the Marines and was medically retired. Noel Gonzalez spoke about his time in Germany working on the firing range where pilots trained.

Martin Flick served four years the Marines and then another 16 in the Navy, he said, and was serving on a submarine when the 9/11 attacks happened, while his wife Rhiannon waited at home.

“I was out to sea, and it was probably six or eight weeks until we could come up and tell everybody that we were even alive,” Flick said. “Nobody really knew. She was there behind me the whole time, so I want to thank her.”

“It’s zero contact: no email, no phone calls, nothing,” Rhiannon Flick said. “You don’t know anything … and living on base with the fighter jets constantly flying around patrolling. It was scary.”

Quilts of Valor was started in 2003 by a mother whose son was deployed in Iraq, according to the organization’s website. She chose to make quilts because they would be a reminder that someone at home cared what he was going through.

“Every one of you sacrificed something,” Tincher told the veterans. “You deserve to hear the words, ‘Your sacrifice mattered.’ You accepted responsibilities most Americans will never fully understand. You missed birthdays, you missed holidays, anniversaries and precious moments with your families … Many of you simply came home while serving your families and communities without asking for any recognition. Today, we hope that these quilts of valor remind you that your service has never been forgotten.”

    Larry Roloff thanks Kathy Aldrich for his Quilt of Valor.
  

    Karrie Roberts, left, and Kathy Aldrich hold up veteran William Caruthers’ Quilt of Valor at the presentation ceremony Monday.
  

The seven veterans who received Quilts of Valor Monday (from left): William Caruthers, Larry Roloff, Noel Gonzales Jr., Theodore Moncada, Martin Flick, Arthur Page and Ray Lopez.