Man honored for gift of quilts to wounded soldiers

SELAH -- A Quincy, Wash., man was honored Thursday at the Yakima Training Center for making more than 200 quilts for wounded military members from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Al Lind, 91, is a World War II Army veteran and former prisoner of war. He is now retired after farming land in the George area, and he has a son who lives in the Selah area, ceremony organizers said.

He was presented with a plaque recognizing his service by Brig. Gen. Frank Cipolla, deputy commanding general of the 88th Regional Support Command at Fort McCoy, Wis.

Lind is part of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a national volunteer organization started by a military mother in 2003 to honor wounded veterans. Quilts of Valor tries to make a quilt for each injured service member; more than 23,000 have been produced so far.

Lind makes about six quilt tops a month, and the quilts are finished by other sewers, said June Moore of Royal City, the longarm/topper coordinator for Quilts of Valor.

After he learned about the program from a neighbor in 2007, Lind bought a sewing machine and started sewing his own blocks, Moore said.

If you're interested in joining the effort, Moore said she would welcome quilting volunteers from the Yakima Valley. Volunteers can perform a variety of tasks, such as making blocks and compiling the final quilts.

Moore can be reached at 509-346-9332 or june@QOVF.org.