An Awe-Inspiring Assembly

Patriotism was on full display last week at the Veteran’s Day assembly held at Freeman Public Schools. From the Kindergarten class who led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Jr High and High School Patriot Pen and Voice of Democracy winners who read their essays. And from the High School Band and Choir members who performed patriotic songs to the Legion and VFW members who presented the colors. In addition the Forest Acres Quilting Club was honored to award three Quilts of Valor to decorated veterans with ties to our area - Jerod and Cally Ideus of Filley and Orville Brown of Lincoln.

Jerod Ideus has spent the last 30 years as a member of the Nebraska Army National Guard having joined in May of 1995 at the age of 17. He served several overseas deployments including Kuwait, Bosnia, and Iraq. In addition he aided in local emergencies including the 1997 snowstorm that downed power lines across the state as well as the flooding in 2013 and 2019. Out of state emergencies included aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Gustav in 2008. Jerod has attained the rank of Sergeant First Class.

Jerod’s quilt was made from a pattern called Let It Wave, designed by Scott Flanagan of 4th & Main Designs. The Stars and Stripes design allowed us to use a variety of red and blue fabrics in our stash. This quilt earned a blue ribbon at the Gage County Fair last summer and was also displayed at the Czech Days Quilt Show in Wilber.

Cally Ideus was also a member of the Nebraska Army National Guard having enlisted in 1996. She served as an Intelligence Analyst in Washington DC working on special government programs as well as the 9/11 Task Force. Subsequently she was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and then to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She was discharged in May 2004 and attained the rank of Sergeant.

Cally’s quilt was made from a pattern called Simple Magic found in the October 2024 edition of American Patchwork & Quilting. It was originally shown with Halloween-colored fabrics so I reworked it with patriotic colors so that we could use it as a Quilt of Valor. We were very happy with the way it turned out. This quilt also earned a blue ribbon at the Gage County Fair last summer and was displayed at the Czech Days Quilt Show in Wilber.

Orville Brown was nominated for a Quilt of Valor by his son-in-law, Greg Veerhusen, who is a former student and current teacher at Freeman Public Schools. Orville also has three grandchildren who attend Freeman. Orville was drafted into the United States Marine Corps in 1969. He received his basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio TX and then received advanced training in logistical aerial supply at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls TX. He served three tours of duty in Vietnam and a fourth tour “somewhere” in the Middle East during the Yom Kippur War. Upon his discharge in 1974 he had attained the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Orville’s quilt was made from a pattern called Swirl of Stripes that I found in the September/October 2020 edition of the Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting magazine. It uses the string-piecing technique that I learned at one of the Panama Quilt Guild meetings this year. This one adds a star in the center of some of the blocks which makes it perfect for a Quilt of Valor. In addition it allowed us to use a lot of our scraps. My group is looking forward to making another one - this time using blue and white strips with gold stars.

This is the 10th year that the Forest Acres Quilting Club has been honored to participate in the Veteran’s Day assembly at Freeman by awarding Quilts of Valor. We have been proud to introduce these veterans and the stories of their service to the students.