Wayne Long Receives Quilt of Valor

Veteran Wayne Long received a Quilt of Valor Friday, April 19, in honor of his service.

Wayne served in the army during the Vietnam War from 1971–74. He began his military career completing Basic at Fort Ord, California, and was later stationed at Fort Lewis, as a stockade guard. Wayne completed his service in Germany as a member of the Military Police.

The Quilts of Valor Foundation (QOVF) began in the sewing room of Catherine Roberts in Seaford, Delaware. Her son’s year-long deployment to Iraq provided the initial inspiration. She had a dream in which she saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in distress, but found healing when he was wrapped in a quilt.

“The permeating feeling was one of utter despair,” Roberts said in a statement on the organization’s website. “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 Foundation has chapters throughout the United States. Quilts have been provided to service men and women welcoming them home with the love and gratitude they deserve. The Patriotic Quilters of Southeast Iowa created Wayne’s quilt.