By Matt de Simone
Quilts of Valor (QOV), a civic organization honoring military service members and veterans, presented quilts to Fincastle citizens John Thomas and Scott Critzer during the joyful Fincastle Festival last Saturday. The community gathered at the doorstep of the historic Botetourt County Courthouse while QOV members Cathy Henderson, Carolyn Loop, and Jim and Aggie Sirrine presented quilts to Thomas and Critzer. A Quilt of Valor is a civilian lifetime award in recognition of a person’s service and sacrifice to the United States.
Over 357,000 quilts have been awarded since 2013, with more than 10,000 volunteers in the 15 groups across the country. Locally, they have awarded over 200 quilts since 2021.
Thomas, an acting member of Fincastle Town Council, served in the United States Army from 1984-2013. He had two deployments to Iraq, two deployments to Bosnia, and one deployment to Africa. Assignments included the 82nd Airborne Division, 11th Special Forces Group, 10th Special Forces Group. He attended John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and was a member of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Thomas retired as a Sergeant Major with the United States Army Special Operations Command’s Intelligence Division (G-2) at Fort Bragg, N.C. Thomas received many awards including the Combat Infantryman Badge, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Award, Joint Service Commendation Award, NATO Medal, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
Photos by Matt de Simone
Critzer, who serves as Fincastle’s Planning Commission/Zoning Administrator, served in the United States Army from 1965-1968 as a sergeant. He served one year in Vietnam with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. Critzer was a Machine Gunner and later a Team Leader in a newly formed Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) Unit. As part of that duty, he worked in several parts of the country. Critzer also served as a Drill Instructor at Fort Jackson. Additionally, he was awarded with a special pin signifying members of forces who served in Vietnam.
To learn more about Quilts of Valor, please visit www.qovf.org.
