Neptune vet being recognized for military service with Quilt of Valor
NEPTUNE - Army veteran Veronica Miller has no regrets.
"I believe in for God and country," Miller said. "I believe in serving and giving."
And serve she did, including tours overseas during the Gulf War and the Iraq War.
"I was considered a soldier, which it was very hard being a woman, and worse being a Black woman. I can say being a Black female soldier there was sometimes I felt a little discriminated against, but other times I did not, especially not so much (during) the times I deployed overseas. I just felt like a soldier," Miller said.
Now, that service is being honored by the Quilt of Valor Foundation, which is set to present Miller with one of its quilts on Saturday at Miller's Neptune home.
The mission of the foundation is to honor service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.
The foundation started in 2003 when founder Catherine Roberts’ son was deployed in Iraq.
According to the foundation, a Quilt of Valor is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand made. The quilt says unequivocally, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.”
To use the term Quilt of Valor, Quilts of Valor or QOV, the quilt must be a specific size, must have a label with required information, and its award recorded.
The first Quilt Of Valor was awarded in November 2003 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to a young soldier from Minnesota. On April 20, the foundation celebrated a major milestone by awarding quilt No. 300,000.
Miller graduated high school in 1969 before she enlisted to the National Guard while working for the state of New Jersey. She graduated from basic training in 1983 and reached the rank of staff sergeant.
"I'm retired (now) from the Army," she said. "I was deployed twice, and I put in 22 years with the Army, and I worked for the state for 36 years. So I sort of planned, through God's blessing, to do it that way, working on two careers."
Miller was deployed to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War in the early 1990s.
The military response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was executed in two key phases; Operation Desert Shield, which marked the military buildup from August 1990 to January 1991 and Operation Desert Storm, which began with an aerial bombing campaign against Iraq on Jan. 17, 1991, and ended with the liberation of Kuwait on Feb. 28, 1991.
"Less than 10 years later I was deployed again for Iraq," she said.
Miller was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"Desert Shield/Desert Storm was nothing like Iraq because, I hate to say it, but there was no contest. They did not have an air force really. They didn't have uniforms. They didn't have food. In Iraq, it was a different type of war, where we had to be alert for (improvised explosive devices). Totally different scenarios, totally different war," Miller said.
She is still serving, but in a different capacity, as the commander of the Disabled American Veterans at Fort Monmouth.
Miller's daughter Inge M. Brown nominated her mother for quilt program.
"My Mom has consistently worked hard through her civilian, academic and personal career to beat the odds as a Black woman and lead by example. Black women's leadership isn't just about their strength and perseverance. It's about how consistently they show up and fight for the common good," Brown said.
She added she is thankful to have a hero for a mom.
"America is in a better place because my mom was one of the soldiers who fought for freedom for all regardless of color, creed, or race. My mom not only served in a war but two wars, and not too many people can say that. So when you ask if I am proud, I thank God every day for my mom and her commitment and dedication," Brown said.
Charles Daye is the metro reporter for Asbury Park and Neptune, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. @CharlesDayeAPP Contact him: CDaye@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Neptune NJ veteran recognized for her army service in two wars
