American Legion Post 37 and the Auxiliary recently hosted a Quilt of Valor ceremony at its spring potluck, honoring 94-year-old Clinton J. âMikeâ McMichael of Hermiston.Â
The Quilt of Valor is a handmade quilt presented to a veteran, considered a civilian award to the soldier for their bravery in service.Â
According to the biography put together by American Legion, McMichael was a 17-year-old farm boy in Curtis, Nebraska, when he was inspired by accounts of D-Day in newsreels and on the radio. Three months later he joined the Army and was trained as a combat engineer. He was shipped across the Atlantic to England in a troop ship and crossed the English channel to a newly liberated France. He made his way through Europe clearing landmines until Germany s surrender.