Pictured, from left, in front, Milton Bloom, Charles Garner, Max Leiter, Wayne Johnson; in back, Lawrence Adams, Charles Richards, Toby Popenfoose, Rhonda Rife, Katherine Kieper and Kenneth Archer.

WARSAW — Kosciusko Community Senior Services and Liberty Sewing Circle joined forces to recognize and show appreciation to eleven local veterans. 

The Threads of Valor quilt presentation was held Wednesday, May 15, at the Kosciusko County Senior Center, 800 N. Park Ave., Warsaw.  

Liberty Sewing Circle consists of a group of ladies from the community who create quilts for local veterans. The quilts are presented at Threads of Valor ceremonies. Members of the group are Kathy Snell, Cora Roushey, Nancy Nulf, Kris Fry, Deb Swanson, Karen Smith, Tibie Packer, Cookie Hartman and Marsha Huffman. Gelenia (Jill) Smith passed away March 19.

Music was provided by the Chain Gang Barbershop Quartet. The American Legion Post 49 Honor Guard performed the presentation of the flag. The invocation was given by Pastor John Lowe of New Life Christian Church and World Outreach. 

“There are certain phrases that get my attention when someone asks for help,” said Kosciusko Community Senior Services Executive Director David Neff. “One example would be the director of transportation for Warsaw Community Schools said ‘for the safety of children.’ Now, when someone asks for the safety of children, you buy in, and they asked simply to have a little area here to be a bus stop for children to go to school. That’s a no brainer. The other one is Kathy (Snell) asked me to honor our veterans…I’m in. I come from a family of veterans. My dad passed away a couple of years ago. I said at the last ceremony that when they fold up that flag and present it to you, it hits you … the service that all our veterans do to keep our country safe.”

Guest speakers at the event included Warsaw Salvation Army Community Ministries Administrator Ken Locke and Warsaw City Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins, as well as Chris Crabtree, a representative for U.S. Congressman Jim Banks.

Dobbins said one definition of the term “veteran” found in the dictionary is “someone who has served in the military.”

“That seemed very simplistic to me,” said Dobbins. “When I think about our veterans, I think about people who love their country and the principles it stands for so much that they were willing to risk their lives for their country and those principles.”

“I also think of people who are serving not only for their family and loved ones at home but are serving for strangers they will never, ever meet who will probably never know their names, but they are willing to step forward and risk their lives for those people,” Dobbins said.

Veterans honored at Wednesday’s event were Lawrence E. Adams, Kenneth W. Archer, Milton W. Bloom, Charles L. Garner, Wayne Johnson, Katherine A. Kieper, Max C. Leiter, Toby L. Popenfoose, Rhonda Rife and Charles Richards. Robert Downing was unable to attend the presentation; Kathy Patterson accepted his quilt in his absence.  

At noon, the veterans and their families were served a meal provided by Paddock Springs and American Legion Post 49 of Warsaw.