Airman awarded quilt for deployments

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Robert L. McIlrath
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Since 2003, the Quilts of Valor Foundation has been covering service members and veterans touched by war with comforting patchwork.

Master Sgt. Brian Booze, 373rd Training Squadron operations manager, was presented a quilt of valor as part of the Quilts of Valor Foundation by his family May 14, 2014, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.

The Quilts of Valor Foundation is a nonprofit, national organization that hand-makes quilts to be presented to service members or veterans who have experienced war. In a little over a decade, the Quilts of Valor Foundation has awarded 99,836 quilts.

"A friend of the family had submitted my name to be a recipient of one of the Quilts of Valor," Booze said. "I didn't realize how big of an honor it is."

Throughout Booze's 20-year career in the Air Force, he has deployed six times. His deployments include three trips to Iraq, two tours to Afghanistan and one to Kuwait.

"We got rocket attacked in northern Iraq," Booze said. "Some of my deployments were pretty intense, we dealt with a lot of wounded people."

This is one of many experiences that service members may go through in a deployed environment. "We normally mail them to the family members that request it," said Debbie Black, Quilts of Valor spokesperson, VFW post 1657, ladies auxiliary. Black traveled five hours from Tampa, Texas, to deliver the quilt personally. "It was laid on my heart that I needed to present it in person," she said.

On the day of presentation, Booze remained clueless he was about to be awarded a quilt. He was told he had to attend a staff meeting at another building, but when he got there he was told to go somewhere else. Booze made three stops before being told to come back to the office. When he got back he still didn't realize what was about to happen.

"My coworkers led me on a wild goose chase and I had no idea what was going on," Booze said. "It was a surprise to me, I didn't' know anything about it."

Booze was presented the quilt by his wife and children, with all of his coworkers there to witness.

"It's a big honor and I'm very humbled by it. I just can't say thank you enough," he said. "I did nothing more than what I signed up to do, others obviously think I went a little above and beyond."

Black feels honored to be part of something that gives back to service members.

"I feel like I can give back to the men and women that gave their all for this country," Black said. Each patch coming together one by one on the quilt is like the family, friends and wingmen coming together to support those affected by war.


For more information on the Quilts of Valor Foundation or to request a quilt for someone please visit www.qovf.org