Seven area veterans received a Quilt of Valor at Osceola’s Museum of Military History during the museum’s Armed Forces Day celebration Saturday.
Veterans receiving quilts were Carlos Guzman, U.S. Air Force; Mike Adams, U.S. Marine Corps; Myrna Callison, U.S. Army; David Witke, U.S. Navy; Robert Callison, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps; Fred Robinson, U.S. Marine Corps; and Harold Borrero, U.S. Navy.
Any honorably discharged living U.S. veteran, or military member currently serving, can be nominated to receive a Quilt of Valor (QOV) by family or a friend. The QOV Foundation is a national 501(C)(3) not-for-profit foundation that has existed since 2003, and the Central Florida component is a part of the state organization. Since the Central Florida chapter started in 2020, their all-volunteer quilters have produced over 600 quilts for area veterans, and a QOV presentation has become a feature of the Museum’s annual Armed Forces Day celebration.
“There are currently 60 nominations pending,” said Marge Nix, one of the leaders of the Central Florida quilting organization, during her presentation remarks.
In addition to the quilt presentation, several veteran resource organizations were on hand to support veterans. Veterans Counseling Veterans is a Tampa-based nonprofit that specializes in advocacy for victims of military sexual assault and connecting elderly veterans to resources and benefits available to them.
“We find many elderly veterans, who never engaged with the VA (Veterans Affairs) and their families, are not aware of some of the resources applicable for elder care that are available to them,” said a volunteer representative.
Other organizations exhibiting were the Department of Veterans Affairs Orlando-Lake Nona, the Korean Defense Veterans Association, and Sailaway Travel, which specializes in cruises for veterans, veterans groups and their families. Synergy HomeCare was on hand to provide information on the veteran home care services they can provide, under contract with the VA.
The Museum also hosted a dinner for Korean War veterans on Saturday evening.
For more information on the Quilt of Valor Foundation, see https://bit.ly/4bjEbUy.
For more information on the Museum of Military History, see https://bit.ly/4aqCseW.
