Four Anema brothers honored with Quilts of Valor
Four brothers recently received recognition for their military service. Vern, Fred, Jim and Bob Anema, who grew up in Sanborn and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War era, were presented with Quilts of Valor (QOV) at a ceremony conducted June 18 at Yesterday’s Memories Museum in Sanborn.
“I felt that the brothers needed to have a Quilt of Valor,” said Jane Anema, wife of Jim. “They served in the Army at a time that it wasn’t a very popular place to be, and didn’t get the recognition that they deserved. I come from a family of veterans, and it was a very important part of my heritage.”
Each of the four brothers was presented with his own personal quilt. The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war. “I’m very humbled and will always treasure it,” said Fred, who, like his brother Bob, calls Sanborn home.
The brothers each had low draft numbers and so, instead of waiting, they voluntarily reported for duty. Fred served in Vietnam and Jim in Greece. Vern and Bob both served stateside. From the year 1968 to the year 1974 at least one of the brothers was serving in the Army.
“For me, the presentation of the quilt brought back a lot of memories of the time spent in the service,” said Jim, who now lives in Sioux Center. “I was in the last group that was drafted and had the lottery number 62 so I knew I would be going. We all did what we were asked to by our country. After receiving the quilt it brought some sense of closure. There was something special given for what was asked of us.”
Jane noted that this project was years in the making. “I looked for quite awhile for the right pattern to make for them,” she explained. “Jim picked his out last summer when we were at a quilt shop in Kansas. The other three, I found the idea at a shop in Sioux City. I got the pattern and fabric and just started making them. Three of them are the same pattern and fabrics, just made in different arrangements.”
The brothers were not caught unaware at the (QOV) presentation ceremony. “The quilts are never supposed to be a surprise, so when we were all together in January, they all got to see them before they were sent to the quilter,” noted Jane. “The quilters did a fantastic job of layering the quilts together and they are all quilted differently. Carol Anema (sister-in-law to the brothers) made the labels that dedicated the quilts to the brother, too. This was truly a family effort!”
The effort did not go unnoticed.
“First, I am proud to have served my country,” stated Vern, who resides in Sioux Falls. “And it was an honor to celebrate with Fred, Bob and Jim. We are thankful to God for being with all of us while in the service and especially Fred while in Vietnam. And thanks to Jane Anema for putting this together.”
Said Jim, “The ceremony was very special and moving. Jane did an awesome job putting this all together. I am very blessed to be married to her. She has a big heart for Veterans.”
Added Bob, “I’m thankful for the honor of serving our country. The Quilts of Valor is a nice way to show honor to our veterans, a neat token of appreciation for our service.”
The siblings of the four honorees were able to be present for the presentation ceremony. That included sisters Kathryn, Thresa and Sandra and brothers Paul, Marv and Jeff. Another brother, John, passed away in 2020.
“Paul and Trudy were planning to have their 60th Anniversary celebration and they were so generous to let us award the Quilts at the latter end of their celebration,” said Jane. “It was fantastic that all the siblings could be there. The three sisters were there to help award the quilts, too.”
“Jane put a lot of work into making this event happen,” noted Bob. “I’m thankful as a brother we could receive them together.”
Jane summed it all up by saying, “It was a very special day of celebration for the entire Anema family.”