Quilts of Valor volunteers wrapped Army veteran Gary Radtke in a quilt during Veterans Day observances at Boulder Estates in Marshall. Three veterans were presented with Quilts of Valor during the program.

MARSHALL — It was an important day of remembrance, Nancy McClain said.

“A lot of people think this is just another day, but it is not,” McClain said, speaking to veterans and Marshall area residents gathered for a Veterans Day program Tuesday. McClain, a representative of the local Quilts of Valor program, said the focus of the day should be on the service of members of U.S. military services. “You all, every single one of you, matter to all of us,” she told veterans.

Marshall area residents marked Veterans day with programs at the Marshall Adult Community Center, Hill Street Place and Boulder Estates. Programs included speakers, patriotic music, and recognition of local veterans.

“Not all veterans have seen combat. But all have, at one time, made the solemn promise to sacrifice their lives for this country if called upon,” said Susie Sammons, housing manager at Hill Street Place.

“Today is our chance to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy, and to express our gratitude to those who have fought to preserve them,” Sammons said.

“Today, we honor not only the brave men and women who served in the military, but also the families who have stood by them,” Boulder Estates Director Jim Knudson said, during Tuesday’s program.

At the Boulder Estates Veterans Day program, McClain and volunteers from the local Quilts of Valor program presented three veterans with quilts.

The national Quilts of Valor program was started by a mother who wanted to find a way to comfort and welcome soldiers returning from service overseas, McClain said. “Since then, that foundation has given away 426,000 quilts since 2003. Our local unit, which all of you support, we will hit our 500 mark this year.” That means the local quilters will have presented 500 quilts to area veterans since 2017, she said.

“We just want you to know that you are always, and will always be, in our prayers. And all of you are very special to us,” she told veterans.

Volunteers presented quilts to Wayne Beatty, Gary Radtke, and Marlin Toft. Beatty served in the Army from 1953 to 1957. Presenter Bruce Fuhrmann said Beatty was stationed in France, where his duties included keeping a small airport open for emergencies. Radtke served in the Army from 1956 to 1959. He trained as a radio operator, and was stationed in Germany, Fuhrmann said. Toft served in the Army from 1953 to 1954. Toft was stationed in the Mojave Desert, where his duties were to support the Army’s National Training Center. Toft was discharged from the Army to help his father with the family farm, Fuhrmann said.

Speakers at Tuesday’s programs also reflected on the ways military veterans have worked to uphold their country’s ideals. Quentin Brunsvold, a veteran and the Marshall fire chief, talked about some of his experiences during the program at Hill Street Place.

“Military life teaches lessons quickly. It teaches discipline, teamwork and humility. It teaches you how to rely on others and how to be someone others can be rely on,” he said. “You quickly realize that what truly matters isn’t where you came from, but the values you stand for.”

Brunsvold was one of the area soldiers who was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served there from 2004 to 2006.

“Baghdad was a place of contrast – it was hot, dusty, tense, but it was also a place where I saw incredible acts of bravery and compassion,” Brunsvold said. “What stands out to me most from those years isn’t the hardship. It was the people, the men and women who stood shoulder to shoulder with me, the way we leaned on each other when things got tough, the way we shared letters from home, traded stories about family, and found strength in knowing that we weren’t alone.”

Every veteran has their own version of that same story, Brunsvold said. He thanked previous generations of veterans for their commitment to service greater than themselves. “My generation’s service, whether in Iraq or Afghanistan or elsewhere, was built upon the foundation that you laid,” he said.