McCaig Presented Quilt of Valor

Thursday evening’s Cheyenne County Fair events included displays of hand stitchery and mastery of cloth and design.

Beginning the night was a presentation of honor and of craftsmanship.

The Quilts of Valor Foundation is a national organization founded in 2003 by “Blue Star” mom Catherine Roberts. With her son deployed in Iraq, a Gunner sitting atop a Humvee, she felt “only 10 seconds away from panic,” Laura Narjes quoted at the introduction of the presentation Thursday.

Roberts had a vision of post-deployed warrior struggling with his war demons at two in the morning. She saw him sitting on the side of his bed wrapped in a quilt. The quilt not only comforted him but warded off the demons. Thus, the Quilts of Valor Foundation was founded. The Quilts of Valor Foundation’s mission is to cover all combat service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing quilts of valor.

Since its founding, Quilts of Valor has awarded about 276,000 quilts to Service members or veterans of military actions, conflicts and wars, including World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Beirut, Iraq and Afghanistan.

This year’s Quilt of Valor was presented to SGT James McCaig.

“I would like to introduce SGT James McCaig and his wife Ruth,” Cheyenne County Veterans Service Office Fred Wiedeburg said at Thursday’s presentation. “Ruth has been by James’ side since before he joined the army — although ever so slightly. This lovely couple was married April 9, 1966 and by April 20, James was wearing combat boots!@”

SGT. McCaig served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman from April 20, 1966 to April 19, 1968, serving in the Republic of Vietnam from December 1966 to December 1967 with Charlie Company, 3/39th Inf, 9th Inf Div. He was discharged in 1968 and rejoined the Army in 1973, serving until 1984; this time as a Hawk Missile Crewmember. He served as numerous duty stations in the US and Germany. After his discharge in 1984, he continued to serve in the Army National Guard as an Artilleryman until December 1992.

SGT McCaig’s awards and decorations include: CIV, GCM four times, National Defense Service Medal, RVN Campaign Medal with “60” device, and most notably the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star medal with “V” device for valor. The Purple Heart is awarded to those who are wounded in direct combat, and the Bronze Star is the Nation’s fourth highest award. The BSM dates back to World War II and is awarded for heroic and meritorious deed performed in an armed conflict, and signifies honor, sacrifice and bravery.

“It is an honor to get this,” McCaig said. “It is quite unexpected.”

The quilt was pieced by the Cheyenne County 4-H Cool Kids in 2019, and Lynn McKinney. It was quilted by Enchanted Snowflake and bound by More Than Quilts.