Five Local Brothers That Served in Vietnam to be Recognized With Quilts, Aug. 17

Five brothers who served in the Vietnam War and returned home safely will be honored in a ceremony hosted by Cuppa Tea Quilting and the Quilts of Valor Foundation on Saturday, August 17, in Priest River, ID. Allen Thueringer of Colville is one of those brothers. “All of us brothers enlisted in the Army instead of waiting for the draft to take us,” Thueringer said. Thomas was the first brother to join the Army, enlisting in 1964; he received an Army Commendation Medal for

Outstanding Service. James followed suit and went to Vietnam in 1965, serving as a helicopter mechanic. Then, Stephen served three tours in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star and an Army Commendation Medal. Terry and Allen both joined the Army in 1970; Terry was in Army Communications and Allen, the youngest brother, served as an artillery gunner.

The unique history of the five Thueringer brothers caught the attention of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a national organization dedicated to honoring U.S. veterans and helping them to heal. Founded in 2003 by Catherine Roberts, quilts are designed and hand-made by volunteers. The quilt is then awarded to a selected veteran to thank them for their service, sacrifice, and valor in serving the nation, according to the Quilts of Valor website, www.qovf.org.

“In order to be awarded a quilt, a veteran must first be nominated,” explained Theresa Wright of Cuppa Tea Quilting in Newport, WA. Cuppa Tea Quilting is the local sponsor for the Quilts of Valor Foundation and will be hosting the ceremony to honor the five Thueringer brothers.

“All of the brothers will be honored. Tom, Jim, and Stephen will be awarded quilts,” said Wright. “Terry and Allen will bring the quilts that they have previously been awarded.” Wright also said that the ceremony will include the presentation of each soldier’s history and the honoring of fallen soldiers, along with a performance of Taps. “It’s been at least 15 years since all of us (brothers) have been together,” said Allen Thueringer.

“We will all be united at the ceremony.” Thueringer served in Vietnam from 1971 to 1972. He had just turned 20 and quickly moved up in rank. “I outranked them all, and I was the youngest. No one wanted to take orders from a punk kid like me, so I didn’t tell anyone my age.” Thueringer earned the rank of E5 by the time he was discharged.

“I was in the 2^nd Battalion 94^th Artillery,” said Thueringer as he flipped through a scrapbook of photos taken during his service. “I loaded rounds, but I was also the guy with the phone. I was the one taking instructions on where to fire the round.” Thueringer’s gun was a M107 self-propelled weapon that fired 175mm rounds from an 8-inch barrel. The rounds weighed 145 pounds and had a range of 21 miles. The use of this gun required a 13-member crew and claimed one of the longest ranges of any mobile artillery unit. “I fired the last heavy round in Vietnam, on April 9^th, 1972, at 2400 hours,” he said. “We painted that last round, fired it, and that was the last one ever fired,” Thueringer said. He was awarded his quilt on April 24 th of this year, and he thought it would be a great honor to have all of the brothers unite for the upcoming ceremony. “It’s rare enough to have five brothers serving in the same war. But it’s amazing that we all came back.”

The ceremony will be held at the Priest River Community Church at 49 Washington Street, Priest River, ID 83856, and begins at 1:00 p.m. More information on the event can be found at www.qovf.org.