Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
May 29, 2024 | 1:15 PM
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| Retired Army Lt. Col. Larry Smith and his wife, Jackie, center, display the Quilt of Valor. It was presented to him on May 21 by the Natchez Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, in partnership with the Quilts of Valor Foundation. The couple is joined by Juliette Cassagne, left, regent of the Natchez Chapter NSDAR, and Deborah Springer, chair of the Natchez Chapter NSDAR Service for Veterans committee. |
NATCHEZ, Miss. – Retired Army Lt. Col. Larry Smith is a recent recipient of the Quilt of Valor awarded by the Natchez Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, in partnership with the Quilts of Valor Foundation.
The Natchez Chapter NSDAR recognized Smith for his
military service and sacrifice at a ceremony held Tuesday, May 21, at Miss-Lou
Military Museum and Veteran’s Welcome Center at 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd.
“I am honored and grateful to receive this award from the
[Natchez Chapter] Daughters of the American Revolution,” Smith said after
the ceremony. “During my years of military service, I occasionally received the
odd medal or ribbon for this or that, but never for patriotism. They are so
very kind to consider me worthy of the distinction. I thank them from the
bottom of my heart.”
Deborah Springer, who chairs the Natchez Chapter NSDAR
Service for Veterans committee, said the award presented to Smith carries a
three-part message: “We thank you for your service, for your willingness to lay
down your life for our country. We thank you for your sacrifice in serving our
nation, [and] we hope your quilt provides healing, peace and comfort.”
Smith was nominated for the award by G. Mark LaFrancis, president of the Home with Heroes Foundation Inc., that operates the military museum. LaFrancis is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served for 27 years. His wife, Eileen, along with Smith’s wife, Jackie, attended the Tuesday afternoon ceremony.
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| The Natchez Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, in partnership with the Quilts of Valor Foundation, recently honored retired Army Lt. Col. Larry Smith with the Quilt of Valor. Deborah Springer, left, chair of the Natchez Chapter NSDAR Service for Veterans committee, presented the quilt in a May 21 ceremony at the Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veteran's Welcome Center at 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd. She was joined by Juliette Cassagne, regent of the Natchez Chapter NSDAR. |
The Natchez Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, in partnership with the Quilts of Valor Foundation, recently honored retired Army Lt. Col. Larry Smith with the Quilt of Valor. Deborah Springer, left, chair of the Natchez Chapter NSDAR Service for Veterans committee, presented the quilt in a May 21 ceremony at the Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veteran’s Welcome Center at 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd. She was joined by Juliette Cassagne, regent of the Natchez Chapter NSDAR.
Smith served almost three decades in the U. S. Army, from
Cold War Europe in the 1980s to the Global War on Terror in India, Nepal, Sri
Lanka and Maldives.
When Smith joined the Army in 1983, he began as a private
and rose through the ranks to become a sergeant, as well as a company and field
grade officer. In addition to serving as a military policeman, he served in the
Chemical Corps, in Air Defense, and Military Intelligence. He was “assigned to
storied units like the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the
4th Infantry Division,” Smith wrote in his personal biography.
Before his retirement, he served as a foreign area
officer. He also served as chief of the Office of Defense Cooperation in Nepal.
He later worked with the U.S. Defense Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo,
Sri Lanka.
A native of Savanna, Ill., Smith and his wife moved to
Natchez in 2021.
In Springer’s remarks about the award, she said the
quilts represent healing. She noted the mission of the Quilts of Valor
Foundation is to “cover service members and veterans touched by war with
comforting and healing.”
Springer said the foundation began in 2003 with a dream
by Catherine Roberts whose son was deployed in Iraq. Since then, the
organization has awarded more than 300,000 quilts, she said.
According to the foundation’s website, Roberts’ dream was
a literal dream. Roberts recalled:
“The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man
sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The
permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons
clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter.
“Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene
wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of
hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my
dream was: Quilts = Healing.”
From this dream, Roberts said, she was inspired to have
volunteers “donate their time and materials to make a quilt.”
See more at this link:
https://listenupyall.com/2024/05/29/army-veteran-larry-smith-honored-with-quilt-of-valor/
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