Quilts of Valor presented to area veterans on Veterans Day: Al Stai and Gust Fehr

PROTECTED CONTENT

If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.

Username

Password

Login

Lost your password?

Username and Password Help

Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.

Email

Submit

← Back

By LeAnn R. Ralph 

COLFAX   — Members of the Wisconsin Northwoods Quilts of Valor presented two quilts to area veterans on Veterans Day.

World War II Veteran Al Stai and Korean Conflict Veteran Gust Fehr received the Quilts of Valor during a ceremony at the Grapevine Senior Center November 11 following the annual Veterans Day Supper sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary of Russell-Toycen Post 131 of Colfax.

About 60 people attended the event, which included area veterans and their families. 

“It is humbling to stand before you to honor men who sacrificed so much that we might enjoy the freedoms we have today,” said Kristy Goettl, group leader of the Wisconsin Northwoods QOV.

“Thank you for your service. And welcome home,” she said. 

Goettl noted that she is the “bonus daughter” of a Vietnam veteran and is the niece of three Vietnam veterans.

Originally known as Quilts for Soldiers, the Quilts of Valor Foundation gave out the first quilt at Walter Reed Hospital in 2003, she said.

To date, the Quilts of Valor Foundation has awarded 326,777 quilts worldwide, Goettl said.

The chaplain at Walter Reed when the first quilt was awarded, Chaplain John Kallerson, noted that  Quilts of Valor are “not a blanket,” and the three layers of the quilts are representative of the veterans to whom they are awarded, she said.

The top layer is made of many pieces, colors, shapes and sizes representing the many men and women who have served, Goettl said.

The center of the quilt is the batting that is responsible for the warmth of the quilt. And the back of the quilt, which holds the three layers together, is representative of the strength of the veterans, their families and their communities, she said.

The Quilts of Valor are a tangible civilian award that cannot be bought or sold and are never “a gift,” Goettl said.

The people who work on the quilts remember the sacrifice of the veterans as they are stitching, and the Quilt of Valor represents comfort and healing, she said.

The Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream experienced by the founder, Catherine Roberts, whose son was deployed in Iraq.

According to the Quilts of Valor Foundation website: “The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene, wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was: quilts equal healing.” 

Stai

Al Stai is a World War II veteran who joined the United States Army in 1945 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then transferred to the United States Air Force and served in Korea in 1946 and 1947.

He was active in the Air Force National Guard and Reserve.

Stai was awarded a Victory Medal for his service during World War II, and he is active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.

“Thank you very much for the honor here, folks. A lot of you people were kids in school,” Stai said.

Al Stai served as the principal at Colfax Elementary for 25 years and retired in 1987.

He grew up in Menomonie, attended the Dunn County Normal School for two years and attended Eau Claire State for two years to earn his bachelor’s degree. 

Fehr

Gust Fehr served in the Korean Conflict from 1955 to 1961.

He joined the United States Army in October of 1955 and was an activated Army National Guard reservist.

He was trained in chemical, biological and radiological warfare and earned a Good Conduct medal and an Expert Rifle medal.

Fehr said he is appreciative of the services that are available to veterans today, which were not available when he was discharged from the service.

At that time, “they did not really recognize what the veterans did for our country,” Fehr said.

“I want to thank each and every one of you for being here tonight — and the Legion of Colfax. They are exceptional,” he said, adding that he also was especially appreciative of William C. Yingst Jr., school district administrator, and the Veterans Day program that had been held at Colfax High School that morning.

Yingst also is a member of the Russell-Toycen American Legion Post 131 of Colfax. 

Quilting

In addition to Goettl, the Wisconsin Northwoods Quilt of Valor group includes Colfax residents Nancy Hainstock, Sally Johnson and Tammy Stackhouse.

“We would like to wrap as many veterans as possible in Quilts of Valor,” Goettl said.

There was not a Quilt of Valor group in the area, so Goettl and the others decided to start one.

The Wisconsin Northwoods QOV group meets the first Tuesday of every month.

Goettl said she is the “long arm-y” because she has the long-armed quilting machine that is used in sewing on the back of the quilt.

Anyone who likes to sew is welcome, Hainstock said.

“It’s so rewarding … this is our first presentation,” she said.

Wisconsin Northwoods Quilt of Valor member Sally Johnson has given out 118 quilts she has made so far in memory of her husband, Pete Johnson, Hainstock noted.

Hainstock said she started sewing and quilting several years ago at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I love it,” she said, adding that she also still has quite a bit to learn.

Anyone who is interested in joining Wisconsin Northwoods QOV can contact Goettl at 715-829-5297  or you can e-mail her at kristy@littlebigsisterquilting.com.

For more information on the Quilt of Valor Foundation, visit  www.qovf.org.