Chairman of the Board, Mick Guttau was presented with a Quilt of Valor on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016.

Mick Guttau a Vietnam Veteran, served in the Vietnam War as a Cobra Attack Helicopter pilot, and upon returning home to Treynor, Iowa, eventually bought Treynor State Bank. Guttau served in perhaps one of the largest US Military operation to have occurred since the infamous D-Day of WWII, Operation Lam Son 719, in which there is little acknowledgment of in history books today.

The following is the transcript from the presentation:

Simply stated, the mission of Quilts of Valor is to cover ALL service members and veterans touched by war with wartime quilts called Quilts of Valor. This foundation is about people, not politics.

The Quilts of Valor story began in 2003. Catherine Roberts, a blue star mom and a quilt-maker, founded the QOV Foundation as a result of her eldest son’s upcoming deployment to Iraq. Catherine began this foundation with the image of a combat warrior struggling with his war demons and not necessarily his physical wounds.

2013 marked the foundation’s 10th anniversary. It took Catherine and her quilting group three years to make and award the first 100 QOVs. Since then, this grass roots movement spread across the country. Today over 147,000 QOV’s have been awarded.

A Quilt of Valor is NOT a blanket. It IS a quilt consisting of three layers. I would like you to think of those layers in these terms:

• The top of the quilt with its many colors, shapes and fabrics, represents the communities and the many individuals we are. Each stitch in the quilt represents the love, gratitude and sometimes tears of the maker.
• The batting is the center of the quilt – its warmth. This represents the hope that this quilt will bring warmth, comfort, peace and healing to the individual who receives it.
• The backing is the strength. It holds the many pieces of the quilt together. It represents the strength of the recipient, his faith in God, in himself, his family, our communities and our nation.

 A Quilt of Valor is priceless. It can never be bought – it should never be sold – it is not a birthday gift or a Christmas present! It comes from the heart and hands of the makers and the community.

A Quilt of Valor is a healing and comforting gesture, a tangible thing that they can wrap around themselves and know that someone thinks about them with love and care.

Catherine Roberts envisioned that these Quilts of Valor would be awarded to one specific person and not just passed out like magazines or videos. Each QOV is a lifetime award. It has a label that specifically says this QOV belongs to you.

And so Mick, though we may never know the depth of your sacrifice to protect and defend the United States of America, as a gesture of gratitude on behalf of the QOV Foundation, our country and the community of Treynor, I want to thank you for your service and sacrifices for our nation.

May your QOV be healing and comfort when you need it, and a continual reminder that we honor and thank you for your service.

In conclusion, TS Banking Group is honored to have such a wonderful and inspiring man as part of our team. Congratulations to Mick on this honor from everyone at TS Banking Group!