Quilt+of+Valor+Presentation


 * 2 19 0 35

Related
[|View Larger]

 Submitted photo

Members of the Buckeye Blossoms Quilt Guild recently presented a Quilt of Valor to Ken Bass, a local war veteran who served with the First Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq. By [|Rick McCrabb] Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN — The expression on the Marine’s face and his appreciation of their hard work was all Mary Seitzman needed to see. For three months, members of the Buckeye Blossoms Quilt Guild planned and made a Quilt of Valor that was presented to Ken Bass, a local war veteran who served with the First Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq. “His response was heartfelt,” said Seitzman, vice president of the guild. “It was very rewarding.” The guild presented the quilt to Bass at its November meeting at the MidPointe Middletown Library. After his return to the states, Bass committed his life to serving the needs of wounded warriors and co-founded The Battle Buddy Foundation, the only national non-profit organization founded by veterans with a combined mission. The foundation’s mission is to ensure veterans and their families have access to programs and services that will bring them back to civilian life. To do this, his organization provides trained service and psychiatric mobility dogs to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Seitzman said service dogs protect veterans, who because of their combat experience, “is always on guard.” She said veterans don’t like to have people behind them, so that’s typically where the dogs stand. Donna McDade, a member of the guild, said she nearly cried after hearing Bass talk about his military service. “His stories were incredible,” she said. The quilt, the size of a twin bed, was made of red, white and blue panels, McDade said. Seitzman said the Quilt of Valor given to veterans is aligned with two missions: To promote the understanding and appreciation of the art of quilt making to serve the community, and to “cover” service members touched by war with comfort and healing.