Honoring Heroes with ‘Quilts of Valor’
On Feb. 14, two hearts of service and a lifetime of selflessness was honored with a double Quilt of Valor presentation. World War II Veteran JL Stevens- one of many who was faced with the hard choice of joining the fight or not - was recognized in a special ceremony, for his service to his country. West Texas VA Health Care System Director Keith Bass was also recognized with a quilt
“There was no work to be found. I was raised in Ada, Oklahoma. I told mother, ‘Brother is already in the Navy, I’ll go join the Navy.’ I went down to the recruiting officer, he told me ‘You’re only 17 so one of your parents will have to sign for you.’ So we got my birth certificate, went back to the recruiting officer, and signed me up,” Stevens said.
After enlisting, Stevens was sent to San Diego for boot camp. He was sent to gunner school to serve in a needed capacity. After training, he was sent up to New York to board the ship where he would spend the next two and a half years of his
life.
“They sent me all the way from San Diego to New York on a bus. When I got to New York, the ship was not there. So, I had four days in what we call the hell hole of the Navy because all I did was wash dishes for four days. They found my ship up in Portland, Maine. They sent me to Portland, Maine on a bus.” Stevens said in a 2023 interview.
The boat he was on, The Hambleton, was on its second life. It had been hit and totally rebuilt in late 1942, so it was essentially brand new. He was aboard a new ship with new people. Everybody was learning their job and they navigated the coast for about a month. So after so much isolation and adjusting to his new way of life, he was allowed his first shore leave.
“They gave me liberty in Boston and low and behold when I walked off the ship, my brother was standing there... My brother was standing there waiting on me. We got to have dinner together that evening, late. I had to get back aboard the ship and he went on his way,” Stevens said.
The ship he was on is credited with the sinking of the German Submarine 616. They managed to save 60 of the 63 men aboard that submarine and displaced them to a prison in Egypt. They were then sent to the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Gubal. Stevens was also part of the deployment that was sent south to escort a troop’s ship to the beaches of Normandy. They were supposed to arrive on June 5, 1944, but due to heavy fog, arrived on June 6, 1944, D-day, the largest seaborne invasion to date.
“The fog was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, so we backed off for 24 hours. The ship that was carrying the soldiers, we escorted them in and we were firing onto the beach for as long as we could see targets on the beach. They had to wade water waist-deep to get on shore. The men in the water were sitting ducks. I don’t know how many we lost, but it was too many,” Stevens said.
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They then got word that the Germans had displaced six U-boats, so they were sent to intercept them, which they did successfully. They got in a battle with the second one and in the process of firing at them, their #3 gun wiped out the #4 gun, and it knocked all six men on Stevens level out. He had no idea how long he was out for, but he woke up in the sick bay -hospital area- on the ship.
“Consequently, I am a disabled veteran from that accident. I lived with it, with my accident after I got out of the service,” Stevens said in a 2023 interview.
Director Keith Bass has been at the WTVAHCS since June 2023. He is a retired U.S. Navy commander. Director Bass now oversees healthcare services for more than 24,000 enrolled veterans. He is also over 1,120 employees.
Throughout his career, Bass has held several leadership positions. He has served as Director of White House Medical Unit in Washington, DC where he was in charge of planning, supervising and providing oversight to the mission-critical 24/7/365 delivery of medical care to the President, Vice President and their families.
The Quilts of Valor organization is the result of a dream brought to fruition. A Gold-star Mother, Catherine Roberts, had a dream while she was waiting on her son to return from service. During the recent presentation Tarpley described the dream.
"Katherine described the dream as vivid as real life. She saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. There was a permeating feeling of despair. I could see his war demons clustered down into an emotional gutter," Tarpley read. "Katherine continued, it was as if in a movie. She saw him wrapped in a quilt and his whole demeanor changed. There was now a sense of hope and well being... quilts equal healing."
Quilts of Valor Foundation is a national organization founded in 2003 by a "Blue Star" mom, Catherine Roberts. The idea of finding a way to provide comfort for veterans came to her while her son was deployed in Iraq. While he was deployed, she constantly felt 10 seconds away from panic and those feelings turned into quilt making.
"I received my quilt one day in the mail and I was lucky to have my wife and my mother around me when I opened it," Quilts of Valor local presenter Mike Tarpley, said. "Since then I guess you could say I have been honored with many quilts that I have been able to present to our veterans."
Since the founding of the organization, more than 350,000 quilts have been awarded in the United States, Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan. With each quilt the mission to honor service members and veterans is fulfilled - one human-being reaching out and touching another without judgment, reaching out with acceptance and with acknowledgement of service to our nation in very trying circumstances.
"The Quilts of Valor Foundation recognizes war demons that plague soldiers from all wars. There are thousands of quilters across the United States working to make these quilts to cover our warriors, from all conflicts," Tarpley said.
The quilts are made up of three layers: the top with its many colors, shapes and fabrics represent the community and the many individuals we are; the batting - filler - is the center of the quilt, its warmth.
"This second layer represents the hope that this quilt will bring warmth, comfort, peace and healing to the individual who receives it," Tarpley said during the presentation.
The backing is the final layer and it represents strength that supports the other layers. It represents the strength of the recipient, the support of his or her family, communities and nation. Each of the stitches holding the layers together represent love, gratitude and sometimes the tears of the maker. Each quilt represents the three-part message from the givers to the recipient.
“The cost of freedom is the dedication of the lives of men and women like you, and this quilt is meant to say thank you for your sacrifice," Tarpley said. "Finally, this quilt is meant to offer comfort to you and to remind you that although your family and friends cannot be with you at all times, you are forever in our thoughts and hearts."