We had the privilege of honoring a hero. Robert Carrier, US Navy Veteran, was presented with a handmade, one-of-a-kind quilt to honor his service to our country.Robert was aboard the U.S.S. Houston when it was attacked by a Japanese torpedo directly amidship, just below the turn of the starboard bilge and severely damaged the ship.
An explosion caused major flooding at which time an “Abandon Ship” was ordered.
Bob was several decks down and by the time he made it to the main deck most lifeboats were gone. Bob ended up in the sea with a life preserver and a special type of life belt.
He swam throughout the dark night. He stated, “there could never be a scarier feeling than being alone in the open sea at night”. During his time in the sea, Bob only thought about getting home – never focusing on the dangers directly in front of him. He truly believes that being covered in so much oil as well as the additional bouncy belt helped him not be attractive to the sharks.
It wasn’t until the next morning that he was rescued by a survival ship. Due to his experience, Bob insisted he was not going below deck again. For the following 30 days, he remained on the main deck, sleeping below the lifeboats.
Bob is a true hero.
Thank you, Robert Carrier, Veteran US Navy for your dedicated service to your country.
As veterans come under our care, we are honored to give them a Quilt of Valor. Quilts of Valor honors veterans with a quilt as a token of our appreciation for their service. The quilts are made by volunteers across the country. Some quilts are completed by one sewer; others are touched by many loving hands, but all are presented with pride and thanks. Quilts of Valor honor veterans in the US, Canada, and Australia.
Quilts of Valor (QOV) is an organization that honors service members and veterans with a quilt to say, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation”. To date, more than 340,000 quilts have been presented to veterans. Quilts of Valor started in 2003.