BP Quilts of Valor honors 11 vets
Staff photo by Kay Fate
In honor of a holiday that falls on 11-11, it was only fitting that another 11 veterans received a Quilt of Valor from the Blooming Prairie chapter.
Saturday’s event was the first time the presentations were not attached to the annual Veterans Day services.
There were actually a dozen veterans who received a Quilt of Valor – one recipient was unable to attend – putting the total local number at well over 300 since the group formed in 2014.
The most recent batch of quilts were created by Diane Anderson, Linda Brandt, Bev Hoveland, Marilyn Meshke, Bev Wacek, Linda Brandt, Shirley Nelson and Chris Butler.
They are all handmade, with a top, batting and backing, and are machine- or hand-quilted; each quilt was labeled with the name of the service member.
The veterans recognized this year included a set of 90-year-old twins and a married couple.
Raymond Kyllo joined in the service October 1954. In September 1955, he was sent to Germany, returning to the U.S. in August 1956. Kyllo mustered out as a PFC3.
“He still remembers the very emotional sight of the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty as they came into view,” said his daughter, Cindy.
Ralph Kyllo, older than his brother by an hour, was drafted in 1955 and completed basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.
He trained as radar operator and was assigned to duty in New Jersey, as part of the New York defense system.
“We continually scanned the sky for planes that might bomb New York City,” he said.
Ralph Kyllo was discharged in March 1957, and has been married to his wife Wilma for 70 years.
Jack Williamson, of Blooming Prairie, was introduced by one of his former teachers: Marilyn Meshke was the evening’s MC.
A 2010 graduate of BPHS, Williamson joined the Army in 2012. An infantryman, he served eight years in the service, deploying to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne.
He was medically discharged after a back and shoulder injury, retired at the rank of staff sergeant – and returned to Blooming Prairie with a new wife and son.
Danielle Williamson thought she was attending the Quilt of Valor presentation to cheer on her husband.
When her name was called, the surprise was evident.
“I thought this was for my husband,” she said.
A native of Utah, Williamson joined the service in 2008, and was deployed three times before her oldest son turned 5. She is able to read, write and speak Pashto, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan, and served as a translator.
She was medically retired in 2018.
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BP Quilts of Valor
• Norman Otterbein, of Dodge Center
• Gerald Davis, of Hayfield
• Raymond Kyllo, of Hayfield
• Ralph Kyllo, of Hayfield
• Bill Fahrendholz, of Hayfield
• Jerry Meixner, of rural Owatonna
• Larry Helgeson, of Austin
• Ricky Severtson, of Austin
• Mark Johnson, of Eagan
• Jack Williamson, of Blooming Prairie
• Danielle Williamson, of Blooming Prairie