Group presents Quilt of Valor to WWII veteran Raymond C. Hoyt

DALLAS — Another Quilt of Valor has been awarded to another Man of Valor.

Surrounded by his family, Raymond C. Hoyt, a World War II veteran and resident of The Meadows in Dallas, was recently awarded a Quilt of Valor (QOV) through the NEPA Quilts of Valor Chapter.

Hoyt, 95, joined the U.S. Navy in 1943 at the age of 17 and he was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Base for basic training. Shortly afterward, this young man found himself heading to the South Pacific aboard the USS Shannon DM-25.

Hoyt grew up in Kunkle and he attended Dallas Township High School.

As a Seaman First Class, Hoyt served aboard the mine layer/destroyer with the crucial role of sweeping the waters for enemy mines, clearing the way for the Allied ground forces to land on the shores of Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

The USS Shannon engaged in a horrific battle for several weeks, having experienced a rain of shrapnel after an enemy plane was shot down nearby. Hoyt still holds shards of that shrapnel in his legs from that battle.

Hoyt said he was honored to witness the U.S. flag being raised on Iwo Jima.

He was honorably discharged in 1945 having received numerous medals, such as the Joint Service Achievement, Navy Unit Commendation, WWII Victory Medal, and Asia Pacific and American Theater Campaign Medals.

Following discharge, Hoyt married and had eight children.

Upon returning home, Hoyt was a commercial and residential plasterer, working until his retirement at the age of 62. Upon retiring, Hoyt enjoyed going to flea markets with his daughters and brothers, collecting and refinishing antique furniture, coaching Little League, watching Sunday car races and football games and enjoying time spent with family.

“These quilts are an expression of gratitude meant to thank and comfort veterans for their service, sacrifice, and valor in serving the nation,” said Becky Orlowski, NEPA Quilt of Valor chapter leader.

For more information on the Quilts of Valor Foundation, or how to help the local chapter, visit — www.qovf.org — or contact Orlowski at nepaqov@gmail.com.

NEPA Quilts of Valor presented its first quilts in March, 2020. Since that time, the organization has awarded a total of 33 quilts.

In a Times Leader story in October 2021, Orlowski said after she and some friends saw a presentation and learned more about the Quilts of Valor Foundation, they knew they needed to create a local chapter so that they could award quilts to veterans in our area.

And that’s how the Northeast PA Quilts of Valor chapter came to be in January of 2020.

Orlowski said the local chapter was founded by members of the Pennsylvania Quilters, a local quilt guild that meets in Wilkes-Barre.

The local chapter awarded its first two quilts in March 2020, just three short months after starting, and they continue to work on quilts and presentations on a regular basis. Orlowski said the members all volunteer their time, talent and money to this worthy cause.

“We are honored to be part of this wonderful organization and getting to meet veterans has just been a bonus for us,” Orlowski said. “While many of us have not personally served in the military, we are eternally grateful for everyone that has done that for us. We are free citizens due to the sacrifices made by our veterans and we are able to sew, quilt and live our lives freely thanks to them.”