North Huntingdon Army veteran receives Quilt of Valor for service in Germany

A North Huntingdon man was elated but humble Monday after receiving a Quilt of Valor recognizing his military service.

“I just think there’s a lot more people that are deserving,” said Ron Ickes, 81, of Biddle.

Sally Strait, a member of Norwin Quilters, presented Ickes, an Army veteran, with the quilt during a short ceremony at the Jeannette American Legion. The Quilts of Valor Foundation awards handmade quilts to service members or veterans touched by war.

Members of Norwin Quilters used red, white and blue fabric to say thank you for Ickes’ service, sacrifice and valor.

“This quilt is an expression of gratitude meant to thank and comfort you,” Strait said.

Ickes, formerly of Jeannette, served in an isolated, mountainous area of Germany from 1961 to 1964. Afterward, he said, he became a state police trooper and retired as a criminal investigator at the Greensburg station in 1996.

He met Strait at Brush Creek Lutheran Church in North Huntingdon, where she learned of his service with the Army. The Norwin Quilters’ approximately 30 members took on the project, assembling it block by block. Strait said the group has awarded handmade quilts to several other veterans.

“It’s a way to honor the veterans, tell them they’re not forgotten,” she said. “He’s a very deserving man.”

Ickes was joined by his wife, Kerry, and several supporters during the ceremony. Quilts of Valor Foundation was started in 2003 and has specific requirements for the creation of quilts, as well as labeling and nomination of recipients.

“We hope you will keep this quilt with you as a tangible reminder that there are thousands of women and men across this land who are forever in your debt, and that it is our pleasure to honor you with this Quilt of Valor Award,” Strait said.