Edmonds VFW Post 8870 recently honored four World War II veterans with an individually designed and personalized “Quilt of Honor.”

The veterans — Fred Deidrich, Amos Chapman, Buck Weaver and Norm Goldstein — range in age from 96 to 101 years old, with Weaver being the oldest.

According to VFW Post 8870, the Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 when founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq. Catherine Roberts described a dream “as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter.

“Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was: Quilts = Healing.”

Presenting the quilts were two members of Gold Star Mothers, women who have lost a child in the service of their country. “The Gold Star Moms offer their services at events honoring veterans to help in presentations and logistics,” said Mike Denton of VFW Post 8870. These mothers have been present at all recent dedications at the Edmonds Veterans Plaza, among other events. “On this occasion they actually presented the quilt to each veteran and wrapped them up in them,” Denton said.