Robert Petersen was presented with a Quilt of Valor at the Veterans Weekly Cup-of-Coffee group at their Denny’s meeting on April 24, 2024. Marsha Otto and her sister Marla Berg, volunteers with the Quilts of Valor Foundation awarded Bob with the Quilt of Valor.
Bob proudly served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War after graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1963. Bob became an officer in the Air Force and went through flight training for 16 months and qualified to fly F4 Phantom fighters. He was assigned to the Air Force base at Ubon, Thailand where he flew combat missions in North Vietnam and Cambodia. During this time, Bob’s flight was involved in a famous mission to shoot down MIGs called Operation BOLO. Soon after this he returned to the States and was assigned to Vance Air Force base at Enid, Oklahoma as an instructor pilot. He spent 3 years as an instructor and separated from the Air Force as a Captain in 1970.
The Quilts of Valor Foundation is a non-profit group of quilters from across the United States. Their mission is to cover our service members and veterans touched by war with a Quilt of Valor in hopes of offering them comfort and healing. The group was started in 2003 and have awarded over 377,384 Quilts of Valor to deserving Veterans.
Story and photos courtesy of Mike Heilmann
