10 Veterans Receive Quilts Of Valor From Post 253, Lakeland Quilt Club
November 12, 2022 at 12:22 a.m.
10 Veterans Receive Quilts Of Valor From Post 253, Lakeland Quilt Club
By David [email protected]
Exactly 68 years later, on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, Bauer was one of 10 U.S. Military veterans presented with Quilts of Valor at North Webster American Legion Post 253 by the Legion Auxiliary and the Lakeland Quilt Club.
Lakeland Quilt Club Treasurer Lana Dowell explained, “There’s 10 members of us that made quilts for this year. We do it every year. This is our sixth year of doing it. We make patriotic quilts. We do pillowcases for them to store them in plus we do certificates to give them.”
The Legion Auxiliary picks the veterans and then gives the Lakeland Quilt Club the veterans’ names and service information.
During Friday’s Quilts of Valor ceremony, the 10 veterans were called up and escorted to chairs at the front of the dining room at the Legion. After they all were seated, one by one Dowell read the veteran’s information as club members held up the quilt that was made for that veteran. The quilt was then wrapped around the veteran.
The first veteran recognized was Dennis C. Starbuck, Wabash. He was unable to attend so Joyce Starbuck accepted for him.
Dennis served in the Marines from Aug. 18, 1964, to Aug. 16, 1968. He did two tours in Vietnam, has two Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Commendation Medal, Vietnamese Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal with Combat V. He also earned a Rifle Expert Badge, Campaign Medal with Device, 9th Marine Corps District and Tank Repairman Course, according to information read by Dowell.
Dennis’s daughter, Denise Starbuck Snavely, was the second recipient of a quilt. She served in the U.S. Air Force from Oct. 17, 1988, to April 6, 1990. She attended basic military training school, took a security specialist course, air base ground defense course and earned an Air Force Training Ribbon. Snavely has served with the Post 253 Honor Guard since September 2020.
Col. Todd Townsend, Greenwood, could not make the ceremony Friday so his son Eric accepted on his behalf. Col. Townsend served in the Army from June 1978 to0 October 2014. He received the Distinguished Service Medal and was a master Army aviator. He retired as a colonel.
Bauer, of Cromwell, served in the Army from Nov. 12, 1952, to Nov. 11, 1954. He was a corporal in the military police and was a prison guard at Leavenworth during the Korean War.
Bauer’s stepson, Brent Hewitt, also of Cromwell, was the fifth quilt recipient. He served in the Air Force from 1980 to 2005. He had a rank of E7, served in the Philippines, Guam and Germany, and worked on electronics on the B52 Bomber.
Ronald E. “OJ” Ringler, a Marine veteran from Pierceton, served from 1972 to 1974. Ringler was in San Diego training for the 2nd Recon Marine Division when he suffered a leg injury and was medically discharged from Camp LeJeune in 1974.
Army veteran Richard A. Bozarth, of Warsaw and Mesa, Ariz., served from 1976 to 1979.
Bozarth joined the Army in 1976 to follow the family tradition of military service, set by his father, who retired from the Air Force. Each of his three brothers also served, two in the Air Force and one in the Army.
His career began at basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. From there, he became a Persian missile crewman at Neu Ulm, Germany. He then went on to E5 training NCO for Combat Support Platoon 3rd of 64th Armored Division in Swineford, Germany. He re-enlisted in 1978 for his second tour. When he returned stateside, he served 101st at Fort Campbell, Ky., which was his last duty station.
Janette Stackhouse, chaplain of the Legion, accepted on behalf of Peter Hodges, a Marine veteran from Leesburg. He served in Korea from 1951 to 1953.
When asked what he did in Korea, Hodges said, “I was ordered to advance, go I did!”
Bert Labash, Warsaw, served in the Marines from 1959 to 1961. He served in California and deployed for Bay of Pigs but did not have to go.
Marcus Miller, North Webster, served in the Marines from 2005 to 2015. He had six deployments, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He serves on the Honor Guard at Post 253. Miller’s grandmother-in-law, Janet Anderson, made and presented his Quilt of Valor.
Exactly 68 years later, on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, Bauer was one of 10 U.S. Military veterans presented with Quilts of Valor at North Webster American Legion Post 253 by the Legion Auxiliary and the Lakeland Quilt Club.
Lakeland Quilt Club Treasurer Lana Dowell explained, “There’s 10 members of us that made quilts for this year. We do it every year. This is our sixth year of doing it. We make patriotic quilts. We do pillowcases for them to store them in plus we do certificates to give them.”
The Legion Auxiliary picks the veterans and then gives the Lakeland Quilt Club the veterans’ names and service information.
During Friday’s Quilts of Valor ceremony, the 10 veterans were called up and escorted to chairs at the front of the dining room at the Legion. After they all were seated, one by one Dowell read the veteran’s information as club members held up the quilt that was made for that veteran. The quilt was then wrapped around the veteran.
The first veteran recognized was Dennis C. Starbuck, Wabash. He was unable to attend so Joyce Starbuck accepted for him.
Dennis served in the Marines from Aug. 18, 1964, to Aug. 16, 1968. He did two tours in Vietnam, has two Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Commendation Medal, Vietnamese Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal with Combat V. He also earned a Rifle Expert Badge, Campaign Medal with Device, 9th Marine Corps District and Tank Repairman Course, according to information read by Dowell.
Dennis’s daughter, Denise Starbuck Snavely, was the second recipient of a quilt. She served in the U.S. Air Force from Oct. 17, 1988, to April 6, 1990. She attended basic military training school, took a security specialist course, air base ground defense course and earned an Air Force Training Ribbon. Snavely has served with the Post 253 Honor Guard since September 2020.
Col. Todd Townsend, Greenwood, could not make the ceremony Friday so his son Eric accepted on his behalf. Col. Townsend served in the Army from June 1978 to0 October 2014. He received the Distinguished Service Medal and was a master Army aviator. He retired as a colonel.
Bauer, of Cromwell, served in the Army from Nov. 12, 1952, to Nov. 11, 1954. He was a corporal in the military police and was a prison guard at Leavenworth during the Korean War.
Bauer’s stepson, Brent Hewitt, also of Cromwell, was the fifth quilt recipient. He served in the Air Force from 1980 to 2005. He had a rank of E7, served in the Philippines, Guam and Germany, and worked on electronics on the B52 Bomber.
Ronald E. “OJ” Ringler, a Marine veteran from Pierceton, served from 1972 to 1974. Ringler was in San Diego training for the 2nd Recon Marine Division when he suffered a leg injury and was medically discharged from Camp LeJeune in 1974.
Army veteran Richard A. Bozarth, of Warsaw and Mesa, Ariz., served from 1976 to 1979.
Bozarth joined the Army in 1976 to follow the family tradition of military service, set by his father, who retired from the Air Force. Each of his three brothers also served, two in the Air Force and one in the Army.
His career began at basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. From there, he became a Persian missile crewman at Neu Ulm, Germany. He then went on to E5 training NCO for Combat Support Platoon 3rd of 64th Armored Division in Swineford, Germany. He re-enlisted in 1978 for his second tour. When he returned stateside, he served 101st at Fort Campbell, Ky., which was his last duty station.
Janette Stackhouse, chaplain of the Legion, accepted on behalf of Peter Hodges, a Marine veteran from Leesburg. He served in Korea from 1951 to 1953.
When asked what he did in Korea, Hodges said, “I was ordered to advance, go I did!”
Bert Labash, Warsaw, served in the Marines from 1959 to 1961. He served in California and deployed for Bay of Pigs but did not have to go.
Marcus Miller, North Webster, served in the Marines from 2005 to 2015. He had six deployments, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He serves on the Honor Guard at Post 253. Miller’s grandmother-in-law, Janet Anderson, made and presented his Quilt of Valor.
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