The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Quilt of Valor presented to Exeter WWII veteran, 96
World War II veteran Sgt. John Homcha, 96, received a Quilt of Valor, presented during a ceremony held at his residence in Exeter Township on Oct. 11.
The ceremony was attended by his daughters Michele Green of Wyomissing Hills and Marie Kaminskas of Wyomissing and his son SSGT. Michael Homcha.
John was nominated as a quilt recipient by his son, Michael, who was also awarded a Quilt of Valor the previous month for his service in Vietnam. Both quilts were made by the same Berks County duo of Fran Chelius and Patricia Buzzard.
John and Michael are both members of VFW Post 8008 in Nesquehoning, and also American Legion Post 626 in Birdsboro. John has been a member of the American Legion for more than 65 consecutive years.
John, a 1943 graduate of Nesquehoning High School in Carbon County, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in July 1943. He was assigned to the 7th Marine Field Regiment and saw intense combat action against strong Japanese resistance in Okinawa, Saipan and Tinian in the South Pacific during WWII. Following these campaigns, he was assigned to duty in Mainland China. His military decorations include three Bronze Stars, all with V devices for heroism. He also was eligible to receive a Purple Heart for being wounded in action, but he declined, saying that he felt the wound was not bad enough to deserve it.
John previously lived with his wife of more than 50 years, Bertha E. (Kattner) Homcha and their three children, in Wyomissing Hills. He currently resides in Exeter Township.
The Quilts of Valor Foundation, established in 2003, was founded by Catherine Roberts while her son, Nat was deployed in Iraq.
As of June 2020, the Foundation has presented more than 250,000 quilts to veterans throughout the U.S. and overseas who served during a declared war, conflicts, police actions, peacekeeping missions, and counter-terrorism operations and/or times of peace.
Those eligible to receive a quilt include any service member or living veteran who served in one of the following branches: Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, as well as members of the activated National Guard and activated or active dutyspecial work reservists and anyone who serves at the Dover Mortuary Facility. For more information, visit https://www. qovf.org/.