Seven Manteca veterans who served in the Vietnam War were wrapped Sunday afternoon in quilts made by grateful Americans to acknowledge their sacrifices.
They were a gesture of thanks handcrafted in the hopes of providing comfort and warmth to those who wrote a blank check more than 50 years ago to Uncle Sam that could have cost them their lives.
The quilts are one of more than 1,000 made by 25 members of the Amador Valley Quilters whose membership is drawn from the greater Pleasonton-Livermore-Dublin area.
The Bay Area groups is part of a national Quilt of Valor effort started in 2003.
So far, 428,009 quilts have been handmade and presented to veterans across the nation.
Michelle McCumber, the group leader of the Quilts of Valor, oversaw the presentation at the Manteca Veterans of Foreign Wars Post on Moffat Boulevard Sunday.
McCumber told the gathering their mission is to honor those veterans and service personnel “touched by war” — with a handmade quilt.
She read a short military bio of each recipient on a one-on-one basis prior to quilts being wrapped around a seated veteran by volunteers Jeana Collinsworth and Jana Corral.
The recipients were:
Patrick O’Brien
*Navy E-4 - Served in the Navy from 1975 to 1979 during the Vietnam era in the Pacific.
*Army E-5- Served with Delta Company in Stockton from 1986 to 1994 during Desert Storm.
*Air Force – E-6 Served at Travis Air Force Base in C5 Maintenance Unit during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Patrick indicated it was an honor to serve in the Navy in the Vietnam era 50 years ago. He joined to honor his cousin who was killed there. He became a plank holder on the USS Kinkaid (DD965) Commissioning crew, doing a West Pacific cruise becoming a Golden Shellback.
*Served in the Army 8 years during Desert Storm working on CH47's, Chinook’s Delta Company out of Stockton. 1994 to 2004.
*Then transferred to the Air Force 945th AGS out of Travis Air Force Base for 10 years as Flight Line Maintenance Hydraulic Specialist working on C5 Galaxy's.
(The last 3 years was spent activated after 911.
“It was an honor to serve my country in 3 different branches,” O’Brien said. “I have a long line of family in the military.”
Steve Loya
*Served in Thailand 1966 to 1967.
Metals received were:
*Air Force Outstandng Unit Award with a V for Valor and one Oakleaf Cluster
*Presidential Unit Citation with one Oakleaf Cluster
*Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm leaf Cluster
*National Defense Service Metal
*Republic of Vietnam Campaign Metal
*In 2014 Received the Veterans of the Year Award from Stanislaus Red Cross.
Thomas “Tom” Berry
*Marine Corps E-5 1966 to 1970
Thomas served at the Marine Corp recruitment depot in San Diego. He was with the 5th Marine expeditionary force, Camp Pendleton, Oceanside.
He took an aircraft to Da Nang, Vietnam with the First Battalion-5th Marines. Then to Que son Valley, Anhui, Hoi An and Phu bai then to Hue City for the battle of Hue than to Phu Loc.
He spent 19 months in Vietnam as a team leader and then a mail clerk. [From 1969 to 1970, he was stationed at Basics School at Quantico, Virginia at Battalion Headquarters. Tom trained officers when they got out of Officers Candidate School.
Dave Sweilem
*Army E-5 1970 – 1972
Basic training and AIT at Fort Lewis, WA. Then sent to Chu Lai and Da Nang, Vietnam and served in the Army Infantry. Dave was a Bronze Star recipient.
*Rodolfo “Rudy” Molina
*Marine Corp E-5 1967 to 1970.
He Rudy served in the Marine Corp from 1967 to 1970. Boot camp was San Diego and Camp Pendleton.
When he served in the Marine Corp. he was with the First Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, in the Infantry at I Corp (six miles away from the DMZ). His base camp was Cua Viet and Camp Kissler.
Molina served in the Army from 1970-1974. He served with the 101st Airborne, 32nd Division at I Corp in Da Nang. He was a Squad Leader in the Infantry.
On Jan. 20, 1968, he was in the Battle of Mai Loc with Ron Kovac. Ron Kovac’s story is told in the Movie ‘Born on the 4th of July’.
Thomas ‘Tom’ Thompson
*Army Sgt. E-5 1965 – 1970
His base camp was Fort Polk, LA and AIT at Port Leonard wood, Missouri.
He was sent to Germany as a Communications Wireman and Vietnam to serve in the 1st Infantry Division in 3 Corp at Phuoc Binh.
Thompson received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained during Operation Junction City on March 31, 1967.
He was also awarded the Bronze Star Metal with "V" Device for heroism during Operation Junction City. Other metals received are: NDSM, VSM, VCM and the CIB.
Donald ‘Don’ Buser
Army SP-5 Buser’s basic training and AIT was at Fort Lewis, WA and Yakima, WA.
He was sent by ship to Quin Yon, Vietnam and then served at the 4th Infantry Division Headquarters at Camp Enari near Pleiku in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam.
