Quilts Of Valor Awarded To Vietnam Veterans At 90th Year of Veterans Memorial Building
Quilts of Valor presented to six Vietnam era veterans from Nebraska City High School
By News Channel NebraskaNEBRASKA CITY – Blue Star Mothers helped the Veterans Memorial Building in Nebraska City celebrate its 90th birthday Sunday with presentations of quilts of valor to six Vietnam veterans who attended high school at Nebraska City.
Volunteers formed the National Quilts of Valor Foundation in 2003. Since then, 233,183 quilts have been presented.
Allen Phillips said it was meaningful to receive his quilt with five others from his school. He talked about his decision to enlist.
Phillips: “At that time I don’t know how many we had drafted out of our class and I just wanted to serve and I liked the Air Force, I knew other people that had been in the Air Force .”
He said it was great to receive a quilt.
Phillips: “I appreciate it. It will be remembered for a long time… One other time that was very emotional for me was when I went to Washington, D.C., and stood at the Vietnam Wall – about the same feeling.”
Gary Hobbie was awarded the Purple Heart in 1967 while his infantry unit was deployed to Vietnam.
Was it kind of nice having so many from your school here today?
Hobbie: “Yes it was. It was. Surprised at how many were there.”
Why did you join?
Hobbie: “I wasn’t. I was drafted.”
What does this mean to you?
Hobbie: “A lot.”
The Veterans Memorial Building was dedicated 90 years ago, but had been shut down for eight years until a group of volunteers began making displays as tributes to the county’s veterans during the state’s sesquicentennial.
Jim Kuhn, a Vietnam Veteran and Veterans Memorial Building organizer, said the quilt presentation is a fitting highlight to mark the building’s 90th year and fund raising to make sure it continues on its mission to honor veterans.
Kuhn: “We’ve got to keep thanking veterans. We’re going to do everything we can to bring this building back to life and make a special room here for veterans.”
Other veterans receiving quilts were Connie Thorne Graves, the only female from Nebraska City’s Class of 1965 to serve during the Vietnam era; Patrick Griepenstroh, who achieved a rank of E-5 with the US Army in his engineering unit; Tom Grooman, a Purple Heart recipient serving with Charlie Company armor regiment; and Jerry Pierce, who earned the Viet Nam Service Medal with the navy.
Connie Thorne Graves
US Navy 1966. The only female in the Nebraska City High School class of 1965 to serve in the Vietnam era. She received her Navy training at Bainbridge, Md., and was stationed at the naval base in Pensacola, Fla. Awarded a National Defense Service Medal.
Patrick Roddy Griepenstroh
US Army 1969. Served with the 585th engineering unit. Trained at Fort Belvor, Va. Discharged in 1972 after a year in Vietnam, where he had achieved a rank of E-5.
Thomas Earl Grooman
US Army 1968. He received basic training at Fort Ord, Calif., and his AIT at Fort Knox, Ken. Served in 2nd Battalion, 34th armor regiment, Charlie Company. He was deployed to Vietnam from Dec. of 1969 to November of 1970.
He later became an instructor at Fort Benning, Ga., with the 69th Armor Division.
He was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation medal, Vietnam Service medal with three bronze stars and a Vietnam Campaign medal with 1960 device.
Gary Allen Hobbie
Drafted in the US Army in January of 1966. He was trained at Ft. Riley, Kan., and was with the 9th Infantry unit deployed to Vietnam. He was injured June 17, 1967, and was awarded the Purple Heart. He was 1964 graduate of Nebraska City High School.
Allen Edwin Phillips
US Air Force 1966. He served four years and achieved the rank of staff sergeant. Basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. His unit was the 5th TAC division. He was stationed as a communications specialist in the Philippines and worked in South Vietnam repairing communications equipment that had been damaged by enemy action. He was a member of a Crypto Maintenance group, which installed communications in Vietnam and South Korean.
Jerry Pierce
US Navy 1965. Training at the naval base in San Diego, Calif. He served three and a half years, earning the rank of E-3. He was deployed as part of the Republic of Viet Nam Campaign. He was awarded the Viet Nam Service medal and National Defense Service medal.