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Honoring their service

Seven area veterans awarded Quilts of Valor

Photo by Deb Gau Ken Persoon of Cottonwood was wrapped in a red, white and blue quilt during a ceremony held Saturday at the Marshall Adult Community Center. Persoon was one of seven area veterans who were presented with Quilts of Valor in honor of their military service.

MARSHALL — They served in different branches of the military, and in different parts of the globe. But the veterans gathered at the Marshall Adult Community Center had all made important contributions to their country with their service, Quilts of Valor presenters said this weekend.

“We want you all to know that you are never forgotten, and we appreciate each one of you,” said area Quilts of Valor representative Nancy McClain.

A total of seven veterans were awarded Quilts of Valor in a ceremony on Saturday morning. Clayton Campbell, Ken Persoon, Royal Hettling, Charles Hettling, Dale Hinz, Bruce Pochardt and Francis Maeyaert were each wrapped in quilts with patriotic designs.

Quilts of Valor is a national organization dedicated to making quilts to honor and comfort U.S. military service members and veterans. Area quilters created the quilts awarded to the seven veterans honored Saturday. McClain said on average, it took more than 60 hours to make each quilt.

The veterans receiving quilts this weekend each had unique stories about their service, said Bruce Fuhrmann of the Marshall AmerAmerican Legion post, who was emcee at the ceremony. Clayton Campbell, a Tracy resident, was in the Army from 1953-1955. He served in Korea as a helicopter mechanic.

Most of the veterans honored Saturday served during the Vietnam War. Ken Persoon of Cottonwood served in the Army from 1968-1969, and was a radio operator in an infantry unit in Vietnam. Dale Hinz of Wood Lake served in the Army from 1970-1971. Hinz was sent to Vietnam and carried an M60 machine gun for the 11 months he was there, Fuhrmann said.

Royal Hettling and Charles Hettling, both of Minneota, served in Vietnam in different branches of the military. Royal was in the Air Force from 1969-1972. He was trained as a dog handler, and worked perimeter security around a base in Vietnam from 1970-71. Charles served as a mechanic in a Marine infantry unit from 1966-1967. He went on to enlist in the Marine reserves in 1977.

In more recent years, Charles Hettling also started the Vietnam Memorial and History Center in his hometown. The history center serves as both a museum telling the story of the Vietnam War, and as a memorial to fallen soldiers from the Minneota area.

Two Lynd veterans, Bruce Pochardt and Francis Maeyaert, had a shared story, Fuhrmann said. The two men grew up in Lynd, and went on to serve in the Vietnam War at the same time, from 1968-1970. Both Pochardt and Maeyaert were part of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, and fought at the battle of Hamburger Hill in May 1969.

“Now, they’re neighbors,” Fuhrmann said.

In addition to Quilts of Valor volunteers and the Legion honor guard, an audience of family members and friends were present Saturday to congratulate the veterans.

“I want to thank you all for being here to honor these veterans, Fuhrmann said. “They gave us a lot of the freedoms we’ve gotten.”

More information on Quilts of Valor, including a form to nominate a service member to receive a quilt, is available online at https://www.qovf.org.

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