Three veterans thanked with quilts

Editor’s Note: Red, White and Blue Quilt Guild member Grace Evans of Bridgewater contributed to this report.

A trio of Adair County veterans were thanked for their service Saturday, Nov. 11, which happened to be Veterans Day. They received quilts from the Red, White and Blue Quilt Guild of Greenfield.

Each year, the quilt group, which draws its members from several local communities, gives quilts to veterans. This year’s recipients were Gary Firch, Chuck Standley and Galen Schwochow.

A graduate of Bridgewater-Fontanelle, Firch served in the Army from 1965-67, which was during Vietnam . He served in the Charlie Battery 7th artillery 1st infantry division, serving with several guys from Iowa. One of his memories is playing softball while in the service.

Standley, who was born and raised in Earlham, served in the Army from 1956-59 and was stationed at Darmstadt, Germany, where he trained for combat but was sent to headquarters instead. A part of the 32nd signal batallion, he was a chaplain assistant. He spent 31 months in Germany.

Having served in the Army from 1964-71, Schwochow spent two years in Germany as a radio teletype operator and two years as a radio operator. He then spent two years in Vietnam where he was a machine gunner and radio operator. He dropped agent orange southwest of Saigon. He went on an Honor Flight May 10, 2023.

Also present at the quilt presentation were area veterans Larry Riley, Jack Brown, Larry Woosley and Gary Handley.