By Greg Jordan
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BECKLEY – One by one, veterans stood so volunteers could drape over their shoulders a warm, handmade gesture thanking them for service given and sacrifices made for their country.
The Raleigh County Veterans and First Responders Museum hosted a special Quilts of Valor ceremony last Saturday, Dec. 27 to honor local veterans as their families and friends watched.
Quilts of America was founded in 2003 when the organization’s founder, Catherine Roberts, was deployed in Iraq, Jackie Wright with Quilts of America told the audience. Roberts dreamed that she saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of night.
“The permeating feeling was one of utter despair,” Wright said. “Then, as if watching a movie, she saw this young man wrapped in a quilt and his whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well being. The message of the dream was: Quilts equal Healing.”
As of 2025, 32,657 quilts have been awarded to veterans across the country, Wright said. A Quilt of Honor is a civilian award thanking veterans for their service and they are made to be used, not displayed.
One of the recipients, Kelly “Sonny” Brammer of Pemberton, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, attended the ceremony with many members of his family.
“It was a big surprise,” he said. “My daughter just came and told me. It’s really an honor.”
Another veteran who served with the Marines in Vietnam said many veterans of the Vietnam War were not thanked for their sacrifices when they came home.
“This is awesome,” said Stephen Dean of Crab Orchard. “All of the Vietnam veterans will tell you the same thing, that they were never appreciated through history and for something like this to take place is awesome.”
Other area veterans who were presented Quilts of Honor included Charles Kent Bandy, Lowell Adkins, Tex Koch, Jeffrey Lehew and Gary Phillips.
Jody Postalwait, the Southern District Coordinator for the Quilts of Valor Foundation, said veterans are nominated to receive a quilt. Local quilters donated their time and fabric to create the special awards.
“You can go to quiltofvalorfoundation.org to register,” she said before the ceremony. “It’s a national organization, 501©(3) and people honor veterans everywhere by giving them a quilt to offer comfort.”
Located at 201 South Eisenhower Drive in Beckley, the Raleigh County Veterans and First Responders Museum has a growing collection of artifacts ranging from a Civil War operating table to a door taken from a World War II concentration camp. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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