Patricia Alteslane kneels in the right corner with the Anderson Senior Quilters. Alteslane was presented with the Quilters’ sixth “Quilt of Valor.”
“The Anderson Senior Citizen Quilters could not have selected a better recipient for the ‘Quilt of Valor’ than Patricia Alteslane,” said Chaplain Raymond Hutchinson of Chapter 63 (Clermont County) of the Disabled American Veterans. “Hopefully, more veterans in the future will be recognized for their efforts while serving on active duty in the military.”

The Quilters, in conjunction with Chapter 63, made the presentation to Alteslane, a disabled Army veteran during ceremonies held at the Anderson Township Senior Center.

The “Quilts of Valor” are presented to disabled veterans as a comforting and healing gesture of appreciation from the quilters. This was the fifth “Quilt of Valor” given to a disabled veteran by the Anderson Quilters and only the second quilt presented to a female veteran.

Alteslane served in the U.S. Army from 1977 to 1985 in various capacities including a Drill Instructor (at Fort Gordon); a Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Retiree Benefits for the Northwestern Region and an Assistant to the Adjutant General of Fort Lewis, overseeing the Personnel Division. Currently she is actively involved in the DAV Program and is the Adjutant of Chapter 9, which is located in Dayton.

While in the military, Alteslane was selected as Drill Sergeant of the Cycle at Fort Gordon and was an actress in a U.S. Army Film Commercial in 1979, geared to recruiting females in the military. A volunteer at the Dayton Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital, she founded ESA (Enrollment Services Assistance) in 2012, a family-owned and Disabled American Veterans Company.

The Anderson Senior Quilters was started 12 years ago and is composed of 21 members. The quilts are designed and each member sews a portion of the quilt that is presented to the disabled veteran.

Mary Bartels, leader of the Anderson Quilters explained the history of the “Quilts of Valor” and the three-fold purpose of the quilt. These purposes were: 1. to recognize the individual’s service to the country, 2. to honor the sacrifice the individual has made in the service to the country and 3. to provide comfort and healing to the individual.

Chapter 63 Commander John Plahovinsak, a speaker at the presentation, explained that women serving in the military constitute 20 percent of all new recruits and 14.5 percent of the 1.4 million active duty military personnel. Approximately 280,000 females have served post – 9/11 in Afghanistan and Iraq. “IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) do not distinguish between male and female soldiers,” Commander Plahovinsak noted.

The DAV is a veterans’ organization that is fighting to protect the rights and promises given to all veterans. Plahovinsak stated that “the U.S. House of Representatives has passed four bills (H.R. 2460; H.R. 3989; H.R. 5229; and H.R. 3956) last month and they were supported by the DAV and H.R. 5229 was particularly focused on female veterans. In her concluding remarks following the presentation, Alteslane stated she “was honored to receive the ‘Quilt of Valor’ and she will cherish it always, not only for herself, but for other disabled veterans. Knowing that someone like the Anderson Senior quilters care about disabled veterans means a lot to me.”

“Chapter 63 is honored to participate in the formal presentation of ‘Quilts of Valor’ to our disabled veterans,” stated Chaplain Hutchinson, “because this is a key component of our Chapter’s outreach service to our disabled veterans. Just look at the love that the Anderson Quilters displayed in making the quilt and it certainly makes a statement of healing to a disabled veteran.”

Following the presentation, all the quilters posed for a photograph with the unfolded quilt and Army veteran Alteslane. “This will be a photograph that I will proudly post on social media,” explained the Army recipient.

“This will not be the last “Quilt of Valor” made by the Anderson Senior Quilters,” concluded Bartels, “we are already planning on a seventh quilt for a deserving disabled veteran with a presentation scheduled for the Fall months.”