Quilt of Valor Foundation seeks to cover veterans with honor

When Joan Wobbleton presents quilts to military veterans, she watches the audience for folks’ reaction and when she sees people wiping their eyes, she feels a measure of satisfaction for the quilters of Myrtle Beach Shore Birds.

Sunday at Ocean Lakes Campground, she saw plenty of emotion as she presented 26 quilts to veterans who served during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Recipients of the quilts included a woman and another veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart. They had served in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines and are from all around Horry County.

Saturday evening at Oceanside Village, four additional quilts were presented and another to a service dog. “We just started awarding quilts for service dogs,” Wobbleton said. The presentations Saturday and Sunday bring to 711 the number of quilts awarded since Wobbleton started keeping records. Nationally, according to the website of Quilt of Valor Foundation, a total of 134,242 have been awarded.

Suffice to say, that has brought tears to many thousands of eyes. And the tears have been from veterans receiving the quilts as well as folks watching the presentations. Many times, Wobbleton and her husband Jim have heard from Vietnam veterans, “This is the first time I’ve ever been thanked.”

The Wobbletons retired to Murrells Inlet from Maryland. He is retired from the Air Force and she, a nurse practioner, from the Department of Veterans Affairs. She worked in two VA facilities in Baltimore and Perryville. Her professional career perhaps has helped her put aside the human emotions which are part of recognizing men and women who have served during times of war.

One of the men who received a quilt Sunday was unaware; he was at the presentation through the efforts of his wife. “Afterwards, the guy gave me a hug – a longer-than-usual hug. He said, `I’ll cry after I get home,’ ” Joan Wobbleton said. She recalls with regret the “totally unacceptable treatment of young veterans” returning from duty in Vietnam. Today, when the civilian attitude about veterans is much different, it may seem unreal that troops returning from Vietnam were terribly treated by some of the folks at home who opposed the war.

Opponents of U.S. involvement in Vietnam threw rocks and spit at returning veterans. Many hid out and were reluctant to acknowledge that they served their country. “Vietnam was an unforgiving war,” Wobbleton said. In her quilt presentations, she acknowledges Vietnam veterans. “We need to thank these guys, especially those who served in Vietnam.”

Twice a year, she sends 10 quilts to a unit treating PTSD veterans at the Cincinnati VA medical center. In June, she plans to again present 25 quilts to Vietnam veterans who volunteer to wash the Vietnam Memorial in Washington.

Myrtle Beach Shore Birds sew the tops of quilts, usually in a red-white-and-blue design, then the tops and backing are sent to longarmers who put the quilts together. That’s a really simplified description of how the 60-by-80-inch quilts are made. The Wobbletons are involved in the Quilt of Valor Foundation, which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. They and other Shore Birds work hard raising money, buying fabric in bulk and supplying it to quilters, working festivals and other community events. “A whole lot of quilters are involved with the process – a lot of them.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Quilt of Valor Foundation seeks to cover veterans with honor."