Quilts of Valor

The Quilts of Valor Foundation gave eleven quilts to local veterans at Monday's Veteran's Day assembly in the High School Gym. Six of the quilts were started by students from Petersburg High School at last December's Day of Giving. The goal is to present quilts to all the veterans in Petersburg. So far, 84 quilts have been distributed. The assembly started off with the United States Coast Guard honor guard presenting the American and USCG flags. High School students recited the Gettysburg Address and John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech. The student councils from the Rae C. Stedman Elementary School and Mitkof Middle School answered the questions in their own words, "What are the attributes of a veteran," and "What is a veteran?" One middle school student wrote: "Veterans are courageous and brave, fighting for their country and risking their lives knowing they might not come home, risking everything for us. When everything has gone wrong, they still stand strong." Back row from left to right: Richard Burrell, Butch Anderson, Floyd Thompson, Brian Paust, Doug Welde, Carl Haaland, Rod Herbrandson, Rex Friend and Stan Eilenberger. In the front is Ray Olsen, Sr.