On Wednesday, April 22, the Quilts of Valor Eastern MO gathered at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 8 W Hwy D, New Melle. More than 80 quilters joined the effort to sew quilts for the program. Much of the work is done by quilters at home or in groups.
In addition to quilting, the program honored six deserving veterans by presenting them with quilts and a pillowcase created by Eastern Missouri quilters. Each quilt includes a red heart as a reminder of the quilters' love and gratitude for the veterans' service and sacrifice. To date, the Quilts of Valor Eastern MO has presented more than 4,000 quilts to military members, focusing on those who have served in combat, to offer healing and comfort.
The six Veterans honored at the ceremony:
Recipients of Quilts of Valor (L-R) Denis Scharnhost, Wayne Benne,
Linda Aldridge, and Gary Whalen.
Not pictured are Brenton Lee Almeling and Josh Daehnke.
Linda Aldridge of Foristell - An Army Veteran who joined the service in 1976 during the Vietnam War. Linda also served in the reserves. She retired from the service in 2000. In 2021, after her retirement, she began quilting and joined the Loose Threads Quilt Guild. Her spouse, Gary, is one of the other six recipients.
Brenton Lee Almeling of New Melle - An Army Veteran who joined the service in 2009 and retired in 2017. Brenton is employed as an electrician at UMSL. Brenton was unable to attend the quilt presentation.
Wayne Benne of Defiance - A Navy Veteran who served in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1970. Wayne was a farmer and retired from General Motors after 24 years.
Josh Daehnke of Warrenton grew up in New Melle - An Army and National Guard veteran, he joined the Army at age 17 after graduating high school in 2004 and retired in 2017. He is currently employed at Trademark Contracting. Josh was unable to attend the quilt presentation.
Denis Scharnhorst of Wentzville - An Army Veteran who served in the Vietnam War from 1970 to 1971. Denis was assigned draft lottery number 001, placing him in the first group drafted into the Vietnam War. He is retired from carpentry and sales.
Gary Whalen of Foristell - An Army Veteran who joined the service in 1986, retired in 2000, and served in the reserves. He retired from Edward Jones as an IT professional in 2020. His spouse, Linda Aldridge, is one of the other six recipients.
The veterans were deeply grateful for the handcrafted quilts they received and sincerely appreciated the time, care, and hard work that went into making each one. Veteran Wayne Benne shared that this was the first time he had ever been formally honored for his military service. When he returned home after the war, many veterans were not welcomed with the respect and gratitude they deserved.
The quilters from IHM also served a light breakfast and lunch for all the quilters. They would like to thank the Quilts of Valor Eastern MO for presenting the six deserving local veterans with their quilts.
Thank you to all the veterans who have served our country!
Wayne Benne's quilt. 
Gary Whalen's quilt. 
Linda Aldridge's quilt - her smile says it all.
Denis Scharnhorst's quilt.
Other pictures from the day:
