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By JACQI LEYVA-HILL
Special to the PRESS
For more than 30 years, members of the Rio Grande Valley Quilt Guild have been expressing their gratitude to military veterans one stitch at a time.
The organization, founded in 1981, brings together quilting enthusiasts from communities across the Rio Grande Valley for education, fellowship and community service. Among its most meaningful projects is the creation and presentation of Military Service Quilts to local veterans.
According to guild member Laurie Magee, the only requirement for receiving a Military Service Quilt is that the recipient be a full-time resident of the Rio Grande Valley.
“We have been honoring military service with quilts for more than 30 years,” Magee said during a recent presentation ceremony at the Laguna Vista Public Library.
Magee explained that veterans are identified through family referrals, previous recipients, community recommendations and personal connections. Recently, the guild recognized five local veterans representing decades of combined military service.
“Four out of the five people were career military,” Magee said. “It’s pretty amazing, the amount of commitment that these individuals have to our country and service.”
Among those recognized was veteran Ruby Haas, who served from 1973 to 1993. Haas spoke about the contributions of women and Native Americans in the military and the long road toward recognition.
“As an American Indian, at that time there was very little for us to look forward to as far as education and getting ahead,” Haas said. “The nice thing about the military was that it was equal pay for equal work and equal opportunity for women and men.”
Haas noted that members of the Women’s Army Corps who served before 1976 were not fully recognized as veterans for benefits purposes until decades later.
“Today, I’m very proud to stand here as a member of the Women’s Army Corps,” she said. “Very few of us are left.”
Magee said the presentations are especially meaningful because many veterans are rarely recognized individually for their service.
“Most veterans are proud of their service, but the community doesn’t often recognize individuals and their service,” Magee said. “More likely, they are recognized as a group on Veterans Day.”
She added that the recognition can be particularly significant for Vietnam veterans.
“It is particularly special for Vietnam veterans because of the way they were treated when they came home,” Magee said.
The project is also personal for Magee, whose husband is an Air Force Vietnam veteran.
“It is important to me because my husband is an Air Force Vietnam vet, and I know what his quilt means to him,” she said.
In addition to honoring veterans, the Rio Grande Valley Quilt Guild supports numerous community service projects throughout the region. Guild members provide educational programs, donate quilts to nursing homes, shelters and orphanages, and sponsor an annual quilt show on South Padre Island.
The guild is currently seeking nominations for future veteran quilt presentations. Residents may submit a veteran’s name, contact information, branch of service and years of service through the Laguna Vista Public Library. Guild members are also willing to conduct presentations at nursing homes and assisted living facilities when needed.
For members of the Rio Grande Valley Quilt Guild, the quilts represent more than craftsmanship. They serve as lasting symbols of gratitude, remembrance and appreciation for the men and women who served their country.
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