BURRILLVILLE – Burrillville’s George Barber, 99, recently received the coveted Quilt of Valor from the Dare to Dream Ranch in Foster, honoring his service to this country during World War II.
A Quilt of Valor, according to the website, is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a service member or veteran who has been touched by war. The quilt says unequivocally, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.”
To use the term Quilt of Valor, Quilts of Valor or QOV, the quilt must be a specific size, must have a label with required information, it must be awarded and it must be recorded.
“I felt like a king,” said Barber. “Out of this world. I was so pleased. I was jumping up and down. It was really out of this world, because I didn’t expect that kind of a thing.”
“He was blown away,” recalled Wayne Barber, his son. “He was absolutely blown away.”
Barber, who grew up on a farm in Glocester, served for three years in the war from 1944 to 1946 in the U.S. Army 75th Infantry Division where he earned Expert Marksman level, and received numerous awards for his service and valor, including the Bronze Star, the American Legion Certificate of Honor Post 17 Blanchard-McCutcheon award, the Liberation De La France, Normandie 1945 medal and many other honors. On his wall hangs a frame replete with awards and honors as a result of his service.
Drafted at 18, Barber was stationed in Europe in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. He was one of a handful of snipers who did advance reconnaissance for troops preparing to move in. Corporal Barber was a gunner in combat, and also earned medals for good conduct and a Europeon-African-Mideastern Theater Campaign ribbon award.
Years later, Barber still thinks of the “family” that was created in his unit, and still keeps in touch writing letters back and forth. But as the years have gone by, fewer and fewer of what were once the closest of friends diminishes.
“I can see them right now, shaking their hands, each one of them,” he recalls. “They were like my own family. We were together all the time. That little group will stay forever in my head.”
His daughter, Cathy Jenks, arranged for a few of his closest survivor friends to come to Burrillville for a surprise visit several years ago. They came from Oregon, South Carolina and a few other locations to gather once more.
“That was a surprise,” said Barber. “It was so good to see them again in person.”
Barber, in fact, is one of only a handful of WWII veterans left in the state, and may be the only one in Burrillville. He was married shortly before being drafted and didn’t get to see his baby son until the child was just past age two. He fathered seven children. Trained with Ford as a mechanic, he eventually opened his own shop, car dealership and gas station, “George A. Barber Auto Parts in Pascoag,” which he ran with son Paul.
In 2023, Barber was chosen as the Grand Marshall for the Ancient and Horribles 4th of July Parade.
Wayne Barber, who hosts several podcasts on WNRI, accompanied him when he received his award. He explained that Burrillville’s Richard Peck nominated Barber several years ago, but did not hear anything back until this year, when they received an official notice that he had been selected. The organization Quilts of Valor Foundation was established in 2003, and since then, has given out over 413,000 quilts, all handmade, to deserving veterans of previous wars. He was one of 14 recipients at the Dare to Dream Ranch. More than 400 veterans showed up for the ceremony.
“It was one of the most emotional things for me in like, 20 years,” recalled Wayne, who received a standing ovation after giving a speech about his dad.
“With the amount of turmoil and demonstrations that are going on this past week and the wars around the world,” Barber told those assembled. “This group with you people I feel proud to be an American.”
The place, he added, just exploded.
Included in those who received awards, he recalled, was Colonel Barbara Goral, 101, who served as a nurse for six terms in Vietnam as the commander of a crash hospital.
“She got the biggest ovation, then she started crying,” said Barber.
Sandra-Lynn E. White, the RI State Coordinator for Quilts of Valor thanked the ladies from Quilting Hope RI and Ninigret Quilters for their time and efforts, as well as those in attendance.
“It takes a special person to stand up and serve their country and its citizens,” said White.
