Quilt of Valor surprise birthday gift for 92-year-old Wolford

MOUNT VERNON — More than 10,000 veterans have received the Quilt of Valor. Mount Vernon resident John Wolford received it on his 92nd birthday.^and birthday.

On June 27, Fran Kempton and Debbie Hudepohl presented Wolford with a quilt panel with border patterns. The two women helped sew the quilt together, and Hudepohl hand-quilted it.

“We chose this one because we knew him personally,” Hudepohl said.

Wolford’s daughter-in-law, LouAnn Wolford, nominated him to design the quilt.

Quilt of Valor is a reward. It is not bought or sold, nor is it a gift.

“This is an award you have earned and it is priceless for that reason. When we sew, we remember the sacrifices you have made for us,” Hudepohl Wolford said.

She spoke about the meaning of the Quilt of Courage:

• Quilt Top: Multiple elements, colors, shapes and sizes represent the faces of all those who have served in the Armed Forces.

• Bouncing: Bouncing symbolizes comfort and healing.

• Back: The back of the quilt symbolizes the strength of veterans, their families, and the community united in support.

“This quilt is a statement of gratitude, meant to give thanks and comfort. We will never know the sacrifices you made to keep us safe. This Quilt of Valor says ‘Thank you’ for your service and dedication to our nation,” Hudepohl said.

“Thank you for allowing us to recognize you,” Kempton added.

When asked what he thought of his unexpected birthday gift, Wolford replied with a smile and a quiet, “I think it’s great.”

Seventy-two years ago, in the mountains of Korea, that warmth, comfort, and strength meant everything to me.

“I chose you”

Born and raised in Knox County, 19-year-old John Raymond Wolford enlisted in the Army on January 11, 1952. He did not volunteer, but was drafted. He refers to a U.S. Army recruiting poster, but changes the wording to “I Choose You.”

He trained for eight months in Indian Town Gap, PA, and then was sent to California. From there he went to Japan, where he received winter gear.

After a two-day stay in Japan, Wolford traveled by ship to Korea. The journey took two days.

Arriving in Korea, he boarded a train and after a day’s journey reached the foot of his mountain. He was 8,500 feet above sea level, a squad leader and a gunner.

Mountain Outpost

The Army stationed Wolford on a hill—probably Hill 854—on the mountain. The valley below was the boundary line between U.S./UN forces and North Korean forces.

To his left was Heartbreak Ridge. To his right, Wolford could see the sea.

“We were watching out for the enemy,” he said. “We were on one side of the mountain and we could see them, and they could see you.”

Wolford recalls that the squads would rotate during night patrols.

“We went down at night along their border (in the valley) to make contact with them, but we didn’t make contact,” he said of his patrol. “Someone was patrolling all the time, day and night.”

Wolford arrived at the mountain outpost in September. He spent nine months there, most of it in a bunker, looking down on the North Korean unit on the other side of the mountain.

“It was awful. Those were the days when everything went slowly. We had snipers shooting at us, so we had to stay low,” he explained.

Wolford recalls an incident where a sniper’s bullet blew up an Army tank. Another memory is of a dead North Korean soldier.

“They never came back and caught him. They used napalm and he burned up,” Wolford said.

“They fired a lot of mortar shells. Everything lit up like a Christmas tree.”

Long, cold winter

The winter of 1952-53 was cold and snowy. Wolford and other soldiers wore heavy white coveralls to keep warm. The white clothes helped them blend into the snow and camouflage them from sniper fire.

“We were in our bunker the whole time, except for patrol and showering,” Wolford said. “We had our clothes and shoes on the whole time. You had to be ready to run.

“They tried to bring us a hot meal for lunch,” he continued. “We ate rations for breakfast and dinner.”

To go back home

The military used a points system to determine which soldiers would be discharged first. In the Korean War, soldiers earned four points for each month of hand-to-hand combat. Thirty-six was the magic number.

After spending nine months on the front lines of the mountain front, Sergeant John Raymond Wolford had scored 36 points and was ready to go home.

He was discharged from the army at age 21 and never considered re-enlisting.

“I never thought about reenlisting. I got out three months early because I had nothing to do,” he said.

He returned to Mount Vernon via Camp Atterbury in Indiana, rented a house and went to work at Cooper Industries.

He worked at Mount Vernon Bridge Company and Cooper’s for two months until the union found out he was working at both places.

Faced with a choice of employment, Wolford chose Cooper’s and retired in 1995. He lives in Mount Vernon and celebrated his 92nd birthday.^and celebrated his birthday last week with his family.

Wolford was the youngest of six siblings. He has one brother who is still living.

Leroy “Uncle Squeak” Wolford is a Navy veteran from Richland County, Ontario. At 98, Uncle Squeak is one of less than 1% of World War II veterans still alive.

Here is an excerpt from his story.

Below are photos from John Wolford’s 92nd birthday.