Marilyn Cooper fulfilled a promise on July 10 in Clinton.
She had promised Jimmy Campbell that she would come to Clinton Presbyterian Community to honor 19 veterans that Campbell told her live and work at the community. She brought Quilts of Valor in 2017-18 to honor 8-9 veterans, “and I said then I would be back, but I could not come back ’til now. Jimmy said, ‘I have 19 veterans’ and I said, ‘I can’t do 19 but I have 8 we have worked on it since Veterans Day.’ I went to the quilt guild and we have about 20 (in the works). I am honored to be here today. I will come back for anybody. If you don’t want to do it as a group, I will come to your room.”
She said, “I think all veterans should have a quilt.”
The Pledge of Allegiance and The National Anthem began the 40-minute ceremony.
The 8 recipients at Clinton Presbyterian Community are:
John Boney Jr.
Carl Coker
Guy Dominick
Marty Herbst
Joseph Lax
Richard Robinson
James Schairer
Edwin Shealy.
Two people were required to assist Cooper in wrapping each veteran, and she invited family members to come forward to assist in the ceremony. Each recipient’s branch of the service was stated during the presentation.
On behalf of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, Cooper said, “We consider it a privilege to honor you, though we may never know the extent of your sacrifice in service to protect and defend the United States of America, as an expression of gratitude we award you this quilt of valor this 10th day of July 2025. Thank you for your service.”
The Quilts of Valor Foundation has volunteers all across the nation, and Cooper said, “Our mission is to cover our service members and veterans touched by war in conforming and healing quilts.”
The effort was started in 2003 by Katherine Roberts after her son came back from Iraq. To date, 380,000 quilts have been awarded in the United States, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The quilts are given from one person to another without judgment. Cooper said all service members took an oath and, in the process, wrote a blank check to America up to and including their life. The Quilts of Valor script that Cooper uses says, “This quilt is our way of saying thank you for your sacrifices.” The quilts are designed to bring comfort and healing, “even if your families are not with you at all times, you are forever in our thoughts and in our hearts; it was made to be used by you. Your quilt was made with the highest quality products and the latest sewing and quilting techniques to honor you. It can be used in typical everyday fashion with a little TLC.”
It takes 40-50 hours to piece together each quilt. Cooper explained the three layers of the quilt and the binding stitches around the three layers so the quilt can accomplish what it is meant to do. Each quilt has a presentation case, but Cooper said, “don’t keep it in the case — use it, put it on your bed, wrap up in it.”
And, she advised, “Don’t hang it on the wall.”
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