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‘Always be in our hearts’

Six veterans honored with Quilts of Valor

MARSHALL -- It was an emotional thing to see the people gathered at Marshall's Adult Community Center on Saturday morning, Nancy McClain said. The audience was there to honor a group of veterans receiving Quilts of Valor.

"It is a blessing to see all of you so very proud of our veterans," said McClain, a representative of Quilts of Valor.

A total of six veterans were presented with quilts in a program Saturday morning. David Erp, Curtis "Curt" Fried, Barry Nauman, Kenneth Schultz, Emmet Bakke and Lee Steven Simmons were recognized for their military service.

Quilts of Valor is a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving veterans quilts as a way to share comfort and appreciation for them. The local Quilts of Valor group, Pieces for Heroes, has about 20 volunteers who meet up to sew quilts as well as volunteers who quilt at home McClain said.

"The message in our quilts is that we hold all of you very dear to our hearts when we make each individual quilt, and the ladies are very particular about that perfect quilt to go along with that perfect veteran or service member," McClain said. The designs on each of the quilts have different patriotic or military themes.

The veterans honored Saturday served in different branches of the military, including the Air Force, the Navy and Naval Reserve, and the Army and Army National Guard.

"I've had the pleasure of working with this (Quilts of Valor) group since 2017, and part of my main job when we do this is, when we get nominations in, I'll call these guys up and I'll visit with them on the phone," said Bruce Fuhrmann, one of the organizers of Saturday's program. "Some of the stories they've shared with me really makes the job enjoyable."

Schultz served in the Navy from 1960-64. He was assigned to the USS Queenfish submarine, which had a home port of Pearl Harbor. When the Queenfish was decommissioned, Schultz wad assigned to the USS Blackfin. Schultz served as storekeeper and was in charge of supplies and parts when he was in port. As part of his service, Schultz traveled to places like Vietnam, Thailand, Korea and Australia.

Bakke served in the Air Force from 1967-74. Bakke taught survival training, teaching crew members how to react if they were shot down and had to parachute out of aircraft, and what to do to survive when they were on the ground or in the ocean. Bakke served in several air bases in the U.S., as well as in Guam. In Guam he also worked on bombers and tankers.

Fried enlisted in the Naval Reserve program in 1968, and served two years of active duty in Guam. Initially, he was stationed at the Naval Hospital, and late was transferred to a communications station that monitored ocean traffic. Fried returned home in 1971 and served in his local unit until his discharge in 1974.

Nauman served in the Army in 1968-69. He was sent to Thailand, where he was stationed in Bangkok and assigned to Transportation Company. The Transportation Company delivered supplies ranging from bombs and ammunition to food, to locations across Thailand.

Erp was drafted in 1969 and was stationed in Thailand, where he worked in communications on an Air Force Base. Erp was discharged in 1971, but he continued to serve in the National Guard for about three years after that.

Simmons served in the Army National Guard from 1971-2007. He enlisted in the National Guard as part of the Tracy unit, but later transferred to Redwood Falls, and became a member of the 682nd Engineer Battalion. He eventually became a full-time member as Readiness NCO, and became 1st Sgt. of the unit. The Redwood Falls unit of the National Guard was activated in 2003, and sent to Kosovo. During that time, Simmons was in charge of the troops from his unit that were deployed. Simmons retired in 2009, after 38 years of service.

McClain said the volunteers of Quilts of Valor wanted to let area veterans know that they are appreciated.

"We want you to know that you will always be in our hearts," she said.