Local heroes honored with Quilts of Valor during Bemidji Veterans Day programs

Nov. 10—BEMIDJI — Patriotism was on display throughout the halls of St. Philip's Catholic School on Monday as a celebration to honor the area's veterans commenced.

With Veterans Day right around the corner, the students at St. Philip's have been heard at work this week learning about the virtue of patriotism and honoring the men and women who sacrificed for our country.

According to the St. Philip's Catholic School Librarian and veterans program organizer Stacy Ness, the students are given a virtue each week to be implemented into their schoolwork. Words like faith, hope and charity have been featured in prior weeks — but this week the word is "patriotism."

"Teaching patriotism in school is very important, it's hard to even put it into words," Ness said. "Many kids don't realize what veterans went through or what it's like to have deployed parents or family members. I think it's important to have these veterans come in and stand in front of the students so they can feel great pride in their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents."

As children in grades K-6 dressed up in red, white and blue entered their school's gymnasium before the morning bell, they recited the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the singing of "America the Beautiful" to kick off their third year hosting the ceremony.

To recognize the family members of students and staff who served in the military, the program continued with a prayer before the main presentation from the local Quilts of Valor organization, a nationwide program that aims to provide all veterans with a quilt to thank them for their service.

"Nationwide, this organization has given over 360,000 quilts to veterans since its inception in 2003 and we are so proud to honor our local veterans today and every day," said co-chair of the local Quilts of Valor Foundation Helenruth Schuette. "As Veterans Day falls on (Saturday, Nov. 11), there's presentations going on in schools across the country all week."

The local QOV hosts presentations in Kelliher, Blackduck, Bemidji and Northome as they aim to get to all of the veterans of Beltrami County. Last year the organization gave out 32 quilts and they're about at that same amount for this year.

Schuette and fellow co-chair of QOV, Margaret McNea, work tirelessly along with multiple other important members of the Headwaters Quilt Club to make sure that every single veteran in the area is honored and thanked for their service.

Four local heroes were honored and thanked at St. Philip's as Schuette called them up to the stage to get wrapped up in their new quilts. Deb Brown, Amy Lemke and Jaclyn and Jordan Wizner — parents and grandparents of the students went up one-by-one followed by a round of applause.

After the ceremony, sixth-grade students hosted the veterans in the commons area for muffins, lemonade and camaraderie.

"I do this because my husband and my son are both Marine Vietnam veterans, my daughter is a Naval veteran and my dad served for several years in World War II," Schuette said. "I come from the tradition that if you sign on the dotted line and are willing to give your life for this country, you should be thanked and honored for your sacrifice."

That hasn't always been the case for some veterans, though, which is why Schuette and the whole organization work extra hard to make sure no one is left out.

"(My husband) and I went to a home and awarded a Vietnam veteran his Quilt of Valor. He told us that when he came back from Vietnam, he was neither hailed nor honored — he was spit on and his windows in his car were broken frequently," she said. "He told me this was the first thing that he received that said 'thank you for your service.'"

Some have been thanked countless times, some are on the last stretch of their lives and have never been thanked, ever.

"The virtue of patriotism is very important to me. We need to honor those people that are willing to serve and give their lives for their country," Schuette said. "God first, country second — it all fits together. To be patriotic is certainly for the good of preserving democracy in the world."

The next morning, Schuette and McNea made their way to the Bemidji Eagles Club for another Quilts of Valor ceremony to honor three more veterans in the area.

Over 40 attendees gathered in the Eagles Club on Tuesday, Nov. 7, to witness veterans Mike Weber, Dennis Clemenson and Donald DeLapp get wrapped in their brand-new Quilts of Valor while McNea told the story of how the QOV organization came to be.

She said it all began with a dream — literally. According to the Founder of the QOV organization Catherine Roberts, the idea came to her in a dream in 2003 while her son was deployed in Iraq. She said it was just as vivid as real life.

"(Roberts) saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over as the permeating feeling was one of utter despair," McNea read to the attendees. "She could see his war demons clustered around and dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if she was viewing a movie, she saw him in the next scene wrapped with a quilt."

Roberts wrote that the message of her dream was that quilts resemble a way of healing. When she saw the man with the quilt around him, his demeanor changed from despair to hope and well-being.

The model became clear to Roberts and for the next 20 years, the organization would award hundreds of thousands of quilts to veterans all across the country.

"Catherine Roberts had defined ideas about the standards of excellence for the quilts," McNea said. "She knew a QOV had to be a quality quilt, not a "charity quilt." They would be awarded, not just passed out and it would serve as a way to say thank you for your service, sacrifice and value in serving our nation in combat."

As McNea wrapped the quilts around the three veterans for all to see, Schuette reminded the audience that this is not a gift, it's a true thank you for their service to their country and their willingness to give their lives.

Following the QOV ceremony, the veterans gave a presentation about their experience during their

2023 Honor Flight to the Veterans' Memorials in Washington, D.C.

Honor Flights are coordinated out of Fargo, N.D., and free of charge for veterans of Minnesota and North Dakota. The organization provides flights, wheelchairs and volunteers to assist the veterans on their honor trip and they are currently seeking World War II veterans to honor with Quilts of Valor or a trip to Washington, D.C.

"We cannot judge what being touched by war means to a veteran. It will be different for each one no matter when or where they served," McNea said. "There cannot be judgment, only trust. Trust that these veterans have been touched by war and be inclusive to those who vowed to lay down their lives for you and me, no questions asked."