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‘A hug from a grateful nation’

Six area veterans awarded Quilts of Valor

By Clay Schuldt 4 min read

SLEEPY EYE - The Patriotic Piecers, a local chapter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, presented six area veterans with a Quilt of Valor during a special ceremony at Sleepy Eye Veterans Park on Sunday.

This year's veterans receiving Quilts of Valor included William Evans, Grant Friton, Dennis Dittbennder, Patrick Hillesheim, John Hillesheim and Gary Kuebler

The Patriotic Piecer was founded last October and includes members in Windom, Pipestone, Luverne and Wesbrooke.

Paula Domena, a member of Patriotic Piecers, said there are 11,800 volunteers across 800 groups working nationally for the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Nationally, 457,000 quilts have been awarded nationally.

Including these six most recent quilts, Patriotic Piecers have awarded 80 Quilts of Valor since being founded last year.

"We’re pretty blessed to do this work," Domena said. "The quilt says unequivocally, 'Thank you for your service and sacrifice for serving our nation.'"

Before awarding each quilt, Domena gave a brief summary of each veteran’s service.

William Evans served from 1948-1969. He first served in the U.S. Army form 1948-1957 and then in the U.S. Air Force from 1957-1969. During his service in the Air Force, Evans rebuilt weapons. His unit rebuilt 30,000 weapons per month. For his service he was awarded the AF Distinguished Rifleman Badge, the Army Expert Infantryman Badge and the Korean War Service Medal.

Grant Friton served from 1967 to 1969. Friton took basic training at Ft. Sill and would serve on active duty in Vietnam for one year and two months, attached to the 1st Battalion, 7th Artillery, 1st Infantry Division. For his service, Friton received the Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Dennis Dittbenner, served in the U.S. Army from 1968-1971. He completed basic training at Ft. Bragg and his AIT training at Ft. Knox. He trained as a front-line scout and received a perfect score on his final PT exam. After completing his training, he was deployed to Korea, where he served as a specially trained force inside the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea. Five months into his tour, Dittbenner was nominated to attend Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) school, where he ranked second in his class. He would eventually be promoted to Sergeant. He received the Korean War Service Medal, awarded for service in Korea during the Vietnam War.

Patrick Hillesheim served in the U.S. Navy from 1972-1976. He completed basic training in San Diego, California, and AIT training in Great Lakes, Michigan, where he completed Boilerman Training School. Patrick Hillesheim served aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Consolation for 2.5 years and ended his duty aboard the USS Towers, a guided-missile destroyer. He received several medals for his service, including the Vietnam Service Medal.

John Hillesheim served in the Marine Corps from 1974-1980 and reached the rank of Lance Corporal. John Hillesheim was in the infantry and trained in heavy equipment motor transportation. He was deployed to Okinawa, where he served for two months and was part of the Vietnam Evacuation mission, helping move personnel out of Vietnam.

John Hillesheim participated in the USS Mayaguez incident after Cambodia took possession of the ship. John Hillesheim was part of the crew that secured the Mayaguez return to American possession.

He received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and a meritorious mast, a formal written commendation from a commanding officer that recognizes performance exceeding standard expectation.

Gary Kuebler, served in the U.S. Army from 1981-1987, and later served the Army Reserve. He was deployed to Iraq and England during the Global War on Terrorism. For his service, he received the Army Achievement Medal twice, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal four times, the National Defense Service Medal twice, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal w/M Device, NCO-Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon and the Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon three times.

At the close of the ceremony, Domena told all six veterans that the quilts belong exclusively to them.

"Each time you wrap up in the quilt, think of it as a hug from a grateful nation," she said. "On behalf of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, welcome home and thank you for your service."

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