Quilts of Valor
Stacy Stewart and her family award four Nebraska Air National Guard members with custom made quilts from Quilts of Valor on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at the National Guard air base in Lincoln, Nebraska. Stewart's daughters, McKenna, Alexa, Cora, and Mya spent an average of 30 hours each making the quilts before presenting to the Airmen as a way to show their gratitude for service members' commitment and sacrifice. Awardees must be touched by war in some manner and in the case of the four 155th Airmen, that came in the form of a deployment. Chief Master Sergeant Jarrod Tisthammer, an awardee from the ceremony, said the award was heartwarming. "You hear thank you for your service a lot, but this hits different", Tisthammer said. The Stewart family has completed around 25 quilts over the past 8 years of being involved in Quilts of Valor. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Phil Cowen).