News : Quilts of Valor recipient Terry Schild

Terry Schild receives a Quilt of Valor

Brothers Russell and Terry Schild

I'm a huge fan of the Quilts of Valor ceremonies. There are so many of our men and women out there that have gone through wars, fighting alongside so many other good people. Why? As one of the presenters said, "So that she could put her three little boys to bed at night and not worry about a bomb going off or them being gassed while they slept." 

The Quilts of Valor is a program that awards quilts to men and women who have been in battle. There are several veterans who while they've served, they've never faced the enemy face to face like these veterans.

Sunday, another of our hometown men was honored with a Quilt of Valor. This organization operates all across the country. The honoree this time was Terry Schild, formerly of the Mt. Auburn area. He grew up and graduated in 1967. He was scheduled to be back in town for his high school reunion, so he scheduled the presentation for this weekend while he was home already. 

He had no idea what the Quilt of Valor program was. He was sent an application by Rita Moore, who used to be his neighbor and she knew that Schild had served in Vietnam. He filled in the paperwork and she began sewing.

Schild now lives in California, so trips home aren't as often as he'd like. His service began when he was the tender age of 18 and he celebrated his 19 and 20th years by being transported via helicopters to several rice paddies and areas in the jungle of Vietnam. He said that he saw a lot of the country, on foot. He was enlisted with the United States Army, serving from 1968-1971 as part of the 199th Infantry Brigade. He arrived in Vietnam in March of 1969. At the same time, his brother Russell was serving in a different part of the world in Germany.

The ceremony was a moving one for Schild as he remembered his service and those that he served alongside. Remembering especially those that did not return home.

Quilts of Valor attempts to give servicemen quilts in an attempt to give the veterans a comforting hug in an attempt to make the memories of serving in war a little more bearable. 318,483 veterans have been honored with a Quilt of Valor across the country and in others parts of the world. The quilts are accompanied by a thank you card for the veteran as well as a pillowcase to carry the quilt in.

Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream, literally a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts' son Nat was deployed in Iraq.

According to Catherine: The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change.   

The message of my dream was:   Quilts = Healing.

If you or someone you know have been part of combat in any of the wars our country has fought, visit the site to find an application for a quilt to be awarded to your veteran. Click here. 

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