Ten area veterans, including one Gilroyan were presented with hand-sewn quilts in honor of their service to the country at a reception at American Legion Mission Post 564 in Santa Clara last month.
Presented by the South Bay Blue Star Moms, a military support group that sends care packages to service members, the quilts were given to veterans of the wars in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan at a moving ceremony on Feb. 20, where recipients were called one-by-one to the front of the room and wrapped in their quilt by loved ones.
Called Quilts of Valor, they are meant to convey thanks to veterans for their sacrifice and are made to a particular size and standard. The foundation was started in 2003 by Catherine Roberts, whose son was stationed in Iraq. Through word-of-mouth and the Internet, the organization has spread across the country, awarding more than 133,000 quilts to date.
Joseph Jauch, an Iraq War veteran from Gilroy who served two tours in the Army, was presented with a quilt by his mother, Jacqulyn Jauch of Gilroy, who pieced it together over a period of months. The patchwork design includes images of tanks and the dominant hue, army green.
At the ceremony, Jacqulyn Jauch wrapped her son in the quilt, which included the label “Army Strong.”
“He’s a very strong person; very committed and passionate about what he does,” said Jacqulyn Jauch, whose son joined up at age 19. “I’ve always admired him very much—he’s my hero.”
What he has gone through during his service in the Army has made him a very strong man, she added.
Jacqulyn Jauch said the group seeks to identify Vietnam War veterans to receive Quilts of Valor.
“We always go out of our way to thank or hug our Vietnam veterans because they were treated so poorly when they returned. We make a special point for getting Vietnam veterans Quilts of Valor considering what they went through.”
Two Vietnam veterans were presented with quilts at the ceremony.
No easy task, Jacqulyn Jauch described the quilt-making process.
“You have to lay out all the pieces, get the design how you want it to look, stack all the pieces of material in rows and in the right order so they’re sewn together in the right order.”
While some quilts are more elaborate than others, with some of the quilters being more experienced, the aim is all the same: to give thanks and comfort.
The South Bay Blue Star Moms hold two major fundraisers, a casino night in San Jose in the spring and fall spaghetti dinner annually and collect donations in support of their program that sends care packages to deployed service members. Their last shipment of care packages numbered 600 boxes, according to Jauch.
For more information about their care package program, visit www.southbaybluestarmoms.org.
