Home of the Brave - Minnesota
(a quilt project to honor Minnesota soldiers who have died while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan)

 

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These quilts have been presented to Minnesota families.  There is a listing of our fallen Minnesota soldiers, created by the Star Tribune.  Another web site that lists all U. S. soldiers is In remembrance.

 

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Quilt

Inscription

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John Bauer, of Pipestone, MN, achieved the highest rank of Sgt. Major in the Minnesota National Guard. He originally enlisted in Ortonville in 1982 and served in many units during his long career. He was serving a deployment in Iraq when he was diagnosed with cancer and died at home on Nov. 24, 2005 at the age of 42. He is survived by his wife and two sons. This quilt was given to his wife in Pipestone.
SGM Bauer was proud of the fact that he was serving beside his nephew. He was in charge of operations at Camp Travis in Iraq. He enjoyed all aspects of the Guard and planned to complete his career there. This quilt was given to his eldest son, a college student.
SGM Bauer also loved hunting pheasants and deer, fishing and golfing. He is also survived by his parents, six brothers and one sister, and many nieces and nephews. His younger son is a high school student and was given this quilt.
Cpl. Benjamin Kopp was injured on July 10, 2009, and died on the 18th at Walter Reed Hospital. He had been shot in combat in Afghanistan. He was 21 and a graduate of Rosemount HS. He worked on his fitness with wrestling and weight lifting in high school, and loved everything outdoor. He is survived by his mother who received this quilt, as well as by his father and grandparents.
Sgt. Nicholas Turcotte grew up in Maple Grove, MN. He spent many years with his grandparents there, after his parents separated. After marrying his high school sweetheart, they lived with them before deploying to Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard. He died there at age 23, on February 4, 2006. His grandmother has been very active in assisting TAPS in helping Gold Star families and was given this quilt to honor Nicholas's sacrifice.
Navy MM1 Benjamin Farrell of Maplewood died due to a tragic accident aboard the USS Ronald Reagan while being evacuated for treatment on January 18, 2005. He was serving as a mechanic to the nuclear plant on the ship and was scalded by steam. His ship was bringing relief supplies to SE Asia after the tsunami in Dec. 2004. His parents live in Maplewood and were given this quilt.
Navy EN3 Daniel Otto, 19, died after a motorcycle accident while driving to visit a comrade in the hospital on May 26, 2008. He was stationed in San Diego and was serving on the USS Rushmore. He is survived by his father in Anchorage and his mother and sisters of New Prague, MN. Daniel enlisted in the Navy while a junior in high school. His oldest sister was given this quilt.
Army Sgt. Jacob Pfingston died in Germany of a brain aneurism on February 5, 2005. He had been sent there to prepare and inspect helicopters being sent to Kosovo as part of his duties with the Minnesota National Guard. He was studying aeronautics at St. Cloud St. Univ. His mother and step-father live in Maple Grove and received this quilt.
Air Force SSgt. Lathan Peterson was killed in a motocross accident on July 6, 2007 in Dixon, CA. He had served a tour in Iraq and was based at Travis Air Force Base and had applied to train as a helicopter gunner. After his death he was an organ donor and helped seven people. His mother lives in Brainerd, and she accepted this quilt to remember him.
SSgt. Adam Sheda had just returned to his home after a very long deployment in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard, when he was fatally shot in a struggle at a house party in Duluth on June 30, 2007. He was an artist and had visited Russia and supported an orphanage there. He was the youngest of six children. His parents live in Wrenshall and were given this quilt in his honor.
Army SSgt Todd Selge had just deployed for his second time in Iraq when he was killed on Sept. 2, 2009 in a roll-over accident in Baqubah, in which his vehicle dropped from a bridge. He was with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based in Ft. Lewis, WA. He was 25, and a loyal soldier. This quilt was given to his parents In Burnsville, MN.
SSgt. Selge graduated in 2002 from Burnsville HS where he met his classmate and future wife. They have two sons, and the family has moved back to Burnsville. He wanted to assure the Iraqi people of the same freedoms he enjoyed at home. His wife and sons received this quilt made in his honor.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class David A. Cedergren, followed two generations in his family in service in the Navy. He died in Iraq on Sept. 11, 2004 of electrocution from faulty wiring on his base. He was a hospital corpsman. He grew up in S. St. Paul. This quilt was given to his father and step-mother in Lakeland, MN.
P. O. 3rd Class David A. Cedergren was 25. This quilt was given to his mother in St. Cloud. He is also survived by two sisters and two brothers and many nieces and nephews. David had many plans for his future and wanted to work in a profession where he continued to serve others.


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Spec. Brent W. Koch, 22, was with the Minnesota National Guard in Iraq when he was killed on June 16, 2006. He lived in Morton, MN. The Redwood Area Quilters made this quilt for his father. Brent was deployed with the Hutchinson Company E, 2nd Battalion, a combat engineer unit, responsible for convoy and base security.
S Sgt. Brian Studer, 28, served in an ordinance disposal unit and was a few months away from discharge when a bomb he was working to defuse in Afghanistan exploded and killed him on August 22, 2008. He wanted to use his skills to remove land mines in the world after service. His third cousin made this quilt for his mother in Ramsey.
Jamie Michalsky was a civilian Russian interpreter working for the Army Reserves in Uzbekistan, and received a minor injury to her hand there. Sent to Afghanistan for treatment, she was near a UN truck targeted by a bomber in Kabul on October 23, 2004, killing her. Her grandparents who raised her in Cokato, MN received this quilt.
Navy Special Chief Thomas Valentine, 37, died in a parachute training exercise on Feb.13, 2008. He was a patriotic and decorated Seal who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He was also a serious climber who scaled Mt. McKinley. He is survived by a brother and sister and his parents who received this quilt.
SOCS Thomas Valentine is also survived by his wife and two young children in Virginia Beach, VA. We hope they are comforted by this quilt in his memory.
S. Sgt. Jacob Thompson loved the Army and fishing. He even did some fishing at Ft. Lewis, WA before his last deployment. He was killed by a bomb while searching buildings in Baqouba, Iraq on Aug. 6, 2007. He was 26 years old and grew up in N. Mankato, MN. His parents and 2 older brothers were given this quilt.
Major Curtis D. Feistner graduated from West Point and was a member of the Nightstalkers unit. He was killed in a helicopter training accident on Feb. 21, 2002 in the Philippines at the age of 34. He is survived by his mother and brother. His mother received this quilt. He was based at Ft. Campbell, KY.
Sgt. David Arthur Johnson was working as a Chaplain's assistant in the Army. He grew up near Milwaukee, WI and was 22 when he tragically took his own life. This quilt will comfort his mother.


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