Veterans Dovre, DeSmet receive Quilts of Valor

Allan Dovre and John DeSmet, both of Minneota, were among 11 veterans presented with a Quilt of Valor on Saturday at the Marshall Senior Center.
The number of veterans presented with a quilt this year is one of the largest ever. Quilts of Valor is a national organization that has presented over 2,500 quilts to veterans.
The Marshall Quilts of Valor sewing group puts the quilts together. They have sewn over 300 to date.
Dovre served in the U.S. Army from 1966-69, first in basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, and then to Fort Belvoir, VA for advanced training. He was then sent to Vietnam where he served one year as a general operator for a signal group in the Delta.
DeSmet served in the U.S. Army from 1969-71. His basic training was served in Fort Lewis, WA, before being assigned as a mechanic in an armor unit in Texas. He later served in Vietnam where he was assigned Charlie Battery 2nd Battalion, 35th Artillery as a mechanic working on M109 155mm self-propelled howitzers.
To be eligible for a Quilt of Valor, individuals must be service members and living veterans that served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Members of the activated National Guard and activated or active-duty special work reservists are included. They must have been “touched by war”, which means:
Being engaged in direct combat in declared or undeclared wars or conflicts,
Serving while in harm’s way providing support and supply to those engaged in battle, combat or preventing conflicts,
Caring for casualties, injured, or ill on the front lines, in-theater, deployed or in hospitals and medical centers overseas or statewide,
Providing casualty assistance to families of the fallen, escorting the fallen or remains and/or participating in honor guards,
Being wounded or injured in training for combat or direct support of combat,
Being there to listen, minister and support others struggling with the demons of being in a war zone.
Only veterans with an Honorable, Medical or General Discharge status are eligible.
The Marshall Quilts of Valor is looking for more help. They meet every second and fourth Monday of each month from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the American Legion building in Marshall.