Quilts of Valor honors veteran who arrived in France on his birthday, D-Day
Enid News & EagleMar 15, 2019
A native of
Leierer's unit was based in
They had a hint, Leirerer said, when all their passes to leave base were cancelled for 10 days leading up to the invasion.
"We knew something was going to happen, because they'd always restrict us to base whenever there was going to be a big jump," Leierer said.
He found out what that big jump was going to be on the morning of his 22nd birthday --
On that day Leierer was serving as a clerk for his unit, and was just walking into the office for a typical day of work when his routine was disrupted.
"These two guys came up to me, and they said, 'Pack your duffle bag, we're leaving,'" Leierer said.
It wasn't until Leierer was on a cargo plane headed to
"I can remember every step of that day, D-Day, because it was my birthday," Leierer said.
He arrived in
"The good Lord was with us through all that," Leierer said, "and kept us from having any problems."
He remained in
Leierer got out of the service on
She and her husband,
Marsha said she was drawn to the Quilts of Valor mission to ensure "every veteran who came back to the
Marsha said she was on the lookout for other veterans who deserved to receive a Quilt of Valor, and when she saw Leierer's medals and heard his story, she knew she needed to contact Martin.
The Weinands presented Leierer with his quilt Thursday morning -- a red, white and blue patriotic piece complete with his name, rank, dates of service and medals embroidered on the back.
Leierer said the quilt is a bigger honor than his medals, and is "one of the nicest gifts I've ever received."
"It's such a beautiful thing," Leierer said, "I don't know if I dare use it."
He decided there's a large space on his living room wall that will be cleared off to make room for the quilt as a hanging, so others can see it, next to his medals.
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