Local Veterans Honored during 4th of July event

Eureka’s 250th Fourth of July celebration featured food, fun, fireworks, a parade and footraces. The day also included a special presentation honoring two local veterans for their service.

Members of the local quilting group presented handmade red, white and blue quilts to James Ithurralde and Rex Moore through the Quilts of Valor program, which honors veterans and service members touched by war.

“As we celebrate our country’s most important milestone in history, 250 years of independence, we wanted to take time to remember that freedom is not free,” said local quilter Winnona Eversgerd.

Eversgerd was among the eight local quilters, known as the Country Cottage Quilters, who helped make this special gift happen. She noted that Mindy Filippini brought up the idea of participating in the program.

The quilt program was created in 2003 by Catherine Roberts after she dreamed that her son, who was then deployed in Desert Storm, was wrapped in a quilt that provided him comfort and healing. To date, the Quilts of Valor program has awarded 447,658 quilts to service members, Eversgerd noted.

After consulting Eureka VFW Post 8194, the local group selected Ithurralde and Moore to receive the quilts. “Today, with input from our local VFW chapter, we honor two men who have served our country bravely,” Eversgerd said.

Ithurralde served as a private first class in the Army from 1964 to 1966 and in the Army Reserve from 1966 to 1970. Moore is an E5 petty officer second class who served in the Army from 1966 to 1968.

Special thanks go to all the women who helped make this presentation possible, including Barbara Todd, Vickie Buchanan, Melissa Holloway, Nancy Plaskett, Darlene Moody, Connie Bailey, Eversgerd and Filippini.

“These quilts say unequivocally, ‘Thank you for your service, sacrifice, and valor in serving our nation,’” concluded Eversgerd.