Home of the Free

When Brian Berg found out he would become a recipient of a Quilt of Valor, he wanted to find a memorable time to receive it. He chose his late father’s birthday on Saturday and shared the special moment with friends and relatives.
Brian received the quilt with a design, “Home of the Free… Because of the Brave,” from his mother, Geraldyne Berg, at his home in Pratt Saturday afternoon. Shirley Nelson designed the quilt while Bev Wacek stitched it together.
As Nelson gave Brian a kiss, she told him, “I wish your dad could be here. He would be so proud.”
Brian followed in his father Ralph’s footsteps by serving in the military, though they were both in different groups. Ralph served in the Army Air Corp. in the mid-1940s when he was shot down over Germany and became a POW for six months before being released in May 1945.
Ralph, who died in October 2006, would have been 96 this year. Geraldyne, 89, still lives alone near Bixby.
Both Brian and Geraldyne didn’t hide the reason he gent into the military in the first place.
“Sometimes parents get kids into the service to get them straightened out,” said Geraldyne, adding that’s exactly what she did for her son.
Brian agreed that as a teenager he was going down the wrong path in life and needed a jolt of something to get him on the right road. He found that joining the military changed his life in a positive way. “The Navy kept me out of trouble. It gave me a lot of structure,” he said.
Added Geraldyne, “It makes a man out of you.”
After graduating from Blooming Prairie in 1990, Brian headed off to boot camp in Illinois the same summer. He served during the Gulf War and the Somalia War. He was stationed in Spain in 1994.
Though he admits it was tough in the beginning, Brian said he has no regrets about serving his country. He said he loved traveling the world with the Navy.
Brian is now a member of the Blooming Prairie American Legion Club.
As for his Quilt of Valor, Brian said it’s extra special because Nelson was involved in making it. Brian has known Nelson since childhood as they were country neighbors.
“I am appreciative to Shirley for the quilt,” said Brian. “It gives a little extra recognition for me.”
Asked what he’ll do with the quilt, Brian responded, “By orders of Shirley, I need to use it.” He said it will fit nicely with his décor in the downstairs area.
Brian flies both an American flag and a POW-MIA flag in honor of his father outside of his house.
Nelson started making quilts in 2004. After initially making one for her husband, Paul, she has gone on to do about 20 others.
“Most of mine have been made for someone I know,” Nelson said. She credits her grandmother for teaching her how to sew many years ago.
A Quilt of Valor is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a Service member or veteran who has been touched by war.
“It means a lot knowing Shirley made it. She put a lot of work into it,” Brian said.