News : Groverts Celebrated for their Army Service in WW II

Don and Joan Grovert's World War II service honored with a Quilt of Valor Ceremony on Saturday

During World War II the Army had two members serve our country that didn't know each other at the time they joined, but more than 70 years later they celebrated their years of service at a ceremony in their home, together.

Both Don and Joan were nominated to receive Quilts of Valor, and it was noted that this is the first time that the local chapter has honored a married couple having both served in the military. Don and Joan (Morr) Grovert spent their years in the service in different locations during the war but they've spent the rest of their lives together. The couple didn't meet until after the war was over, but apparently, they did something right, the two celebrated their 71st anniversary last November.

Joan graduated from the University of Iowa and along with several of her classmates enlisted and later served in the Phillippines as a nurse rising in the ranks to a First Lieutenant outranking Don who finished as a Sergeant. Joan's mother also served in the military in WWI and is listed on the memorial in Washington D.C.

Don joked that with "a lot of other guys like myself his Ozark unit was just a bunch of hillbillies that were sent to fight", he said, with a chuckle. His Ozark Platoon all received citations for their service, there was one other Platoon in the Pacific that also received the citations for their service as well Grovert said, something that had never happened before. (Here's a link to stories shared by others in the Ozark platoon)

The Quilts of Valor program require the hands of many to create the quilts. Rita Moore likes to sew most of the quilt by machine but does sew the binding (that's the edge of the quilt) by hand because "it just doesn't look as nice on the machine," she said. She also doesn't like to tell everyone how many she's made because she said it feels like she's bragging. She doesn't do it for bragging rights, but as a way to honor our veterans (whispering - she's made over 50 of the Quilts of Valor, but don't tell her that I told you). Rita's grandmother on her mom's side was a professional quilter and she's definitely inherited the talent. Dawn Gifford also helps Rita with the quilts by quilting the final layers together.

Click to see a video of the ceremony and expressing gratitude and photos of the presentation.

Pictured above and in the back, daughter, Sue Mouch, granddaughter Nicole Langerman, granddaughter, great-grandson Ben Langerman , Susan and Bill (son) Grovert.