Army veteran Jerry Whisman was honored with a handmade quilt from the Sew N Sew Club during a Nov. 11 presentation at his home in Sun City.

Sew N Sew members Mary Holland and Lynn Christensen have made more than 26 quilts for military families in the past year and consider being able to honor veterans with a quilt a privilege. Holland shared how the club wants to make sure these veterans who served and sacrificed for this country do not feel like they are forgotten.

Sew N Sew Co-President Donna Goodell shared Whisman’s military biography, which started when he joined the Army through the Delayed Enlistment Program while still in high school. In June 1976 he completed basic training at Fort Dix and learned his trade as a diesel truck driver. He received Air Borne training as a paratrooper in October 1976 and completed a total of 236 jumps during his military service.

Whisman was assigned to Fort Carson, 4th Infantry Division, as a fuel truck driver supporting the need at Fort Carson, Peterson AFB, Air Force Academy and NORAD.

Whisman was deployed to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (previously Saigon), for POW/MIA extraction and recovery after the end of the Vietnam War. He then returned to Fort Carson. After ending his active service, he remained with the Army Reserves for 15 years.

In 1996, Whisman moved to Florida, and then, in 2012, he moved to Arizona to be near his children, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren.

Neighbors, friends and family came to honor and thank Whisman, who has a big personality and even bigger heart. Whisman’s wife Pat, his daughter, Melissa Rachu, and great-granddaughter, Azelia, couldn’t be more proud. Other Sew N Sew Club members in attendance included Co-President Margie Donner, Kathy Weiland, Karen Tooke and Carolyn Griffin.

All veterans in the crowd were recognized and thanked for their service. The presentation ended with the singing of the “National Anthem.”