Sitting in his home Thursday afternoon, veteran Chuck Terrell received a gift of a lifetime.
Terrell was gifted with a custom-made Quilt of Valor that was handstitched by the Quilt of Valor Foundation. Terrell said to be recognized by the Quilt of Valor Foundation and receive the quilt means a lot to him at this time in his life.
While Terrell knew he was getting the quilt Thursday, he learned as he was being presented with it that his sister-in-law, Glenda Taylor, made the top of the quilt. Taylor, who was on FaceTime with Terrell and his wife, Wrenell, while he was being presented with it, works with the organization out of Batesville, Ark.
Terrell said he was pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed to be thought of to receive a Quilt of Valor, which was given to him by Anne Kelley and Jo Ellen Carr.
“It’s a beautiful quilt. It’s definitely going to have a home on my lap this winter,” he said. “I appreciate the colors — red, white and blue — and the stars. There are a lot of stars throughout the border and in the cloth. I appreciate the fact that it was well thought out. It takes a talent to do this beyond which I understand or know.”
Kelley said delivering the quilts and seeing the veterans’ reactions is the best part.
“Oftentimes we don’t even know the veteran we’re sewing for,” she said. “Once we start talking to the veterans, get to know them and hear their story, it’s really special.”
Kelley and Carr were also assisted by Diane Jordan and Kimmie Hall with the quilt. According to the Quilt of Valor’s mission statement, “The quilt says unequivocally, ‘Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.’”
“I’m 71, going on 72, and have a terminal illness now,” Terrell said. “Years ago I wouldn’t have ever thought that much about it. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that it’s important, not just for me personally but for veterans and our country, that these sweet ladies do this.”
While Terrell didn’t serve in Vietnam, he served during the Vietnam War era and trained several Marines who served in Vietnam. He was a reservist from 1969 until 1972 then served active duty until 1978.
In November 1975, Terrell, who was a Navy pilot who trained others to fly, was on a basic training flight when his student reported he could not breathe. When Terrell checked his oxygen levels, he was surprised to find out his indicator was at zero. Immediately he decided to end the training flight and return back to the NAS Whiting Field in Milton, Fla., but on the way back they started to notice and smell fumes in the cockpit.
After arriving back at the home field at an altitude of 1,500 feet, he cut the power to the engine then lost all electrical power and was forced to make a dead-stick landing. The next morning a squadron mechanic turned the engine back on to duplicate the previous night’s flight, but the generator then exploded. As Terrell tells it, he was about 90 seconds away from not coming home that night had the engine remained on.
That experience, along with others, led to his rare and terminal blood cancer, but Terrell said there’s value in serving one’s country.
“There’s value in self-sacrifice,” he said. “There’s value in showing your appreciation for those who have served.”
Kelley said last November on Veterans Day they presented 18 quilts to veterans in Hattiesburg, and they made them all in just a six-month span. One quilt usually takes several months to make.
To be considered for a Quilt of Valor, veterans have to be nominated through the organization’s website, qovf.org.
