On Friday afternoon, over a hundred veterans took their seats in the Salem Armory Auditorium. Before them were stacks of quilts of red, white and blue – each with a unique geometric design of patriotic symbols.
In a ceremony lasting over an hour, each veteran was acknowledged by name, branch, time served – in one case down to the hour – and, as the quilt was draped around them, an extended hand and a message:
“On behalf of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, thank you for your service.”
The Veterans Day event was the first of its kind in Salem and was the result of over a year of planning and craftsmanship from a team of volunteer quilters.
Leading the charge were Mary Williams and her husband Jeff of Salem. Their son serves as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia.
“Veterans go through Veterans Day sometimes, and they go down to Applebee’s and they get a free dinner, or they watch a parade from a distance but nobody really points them out specific,” Williams said. “To be a veteran that gets a quilt on Veterans Day in front of all their comrades, and just to be thanked and welcomed home – just amazing.”
Williams, who grew up on military bases, moved to Salem and opened Will-n-Bee’z Quilt and Coffee Shoppe in 2017. Upon learning that there were no local groups participating in the national Quilts of Valor Foundation, she decided to start one.
The next year, she was one of a handful of founding members of the Salem Star Valor Quilters of Oregon, which now has more than 40 quilters.
The Veterans Day event collaborated with a Portland group, the Northwest Quilters, to get over a hundred quilts made for the guests of honor.
Williams said her goal is to share the warmth that a quilt provides with veterans who may be feeling alone or unseen.
“Anybody that’s had a good quilt from a grandma knows how comfortable and warm and calming a quilt can be,” she said. “That just says to me: love.”
One of the recipients, Jesus “Monty” Montes, an Army Cavalry member who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, said he couldn’t thank the volunteers enough for the work they put into the ceremony. He said it is especially impactful to honor women who served, and those with dementia.
“A lot of people think, ‘Oh, they’re just making quilts,’ but it means a lot to these veterans,” Montes said. “Some of them can’t talk, but they sense that you’re there when you touch their hand, they’ll let you know. Or a grin, or a smile. That’s all it takes.”
Many of the attendees served in Vietnam, and the handful who served during World War II received standing ovations.
Former Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, was the first to be awarded a blanket in the state colors of navy blue and gold.
“They’re just a remarkable group of people,” he said. “I have a great respect for everybody in the military.”
While governor, he took trips to Afghanistan and Iraq to visit troops, including Anita Stratton, who still works in public affairs for the National Guard.
She described the awards as emotional.
“When they say that it’s for keeping you warm, it will definitely do that,” she said of the quilt. “And it reminds me of the love that these ladies put into it, and the effort and the time and that’s very much appreciated.”
She said she was especially happy to see the Vietnam veterans recognized.
Her friend Jim Martichuski, an Army National Guard veteran, agreed.
“The Vietnam veterans did not get treated well when they came home. So just to tell them now, to say ‘Thank you, welcome home,’ it means more to them than you could ever put in a newspaper,” he said.
Williams said the group hasn’t yet decided if the event will be annual yet, though she has the ambition for it. She hopes to grow the program by reaching more veterans.
“The only way we can do it is to get the word out,” she said. “We’re really excited about it.”
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
