DAILY LEADER / KATIE WILLIAMSON / Johnny Lyons and his wife June receive a patriotic quilt from the Brookhaven Peicemaker Quilter’s Guild Monday.

It only takes a few scraps of fabric being sewn together to make a statement.

Patches of red, white and blue were skillfully put together by the Brookhaven Piecemaker Quilter’s Guild in honor of two local veterans: Craig Weaver and Johnny Lyons. The group presented the veterans with the patriotic quilts Monday at the Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library.

The PQG decided to make the quilts to honor the service of the two local veterans and decided together to give Weaver and Lyons a token of their gratitude.

Weaver joined the Mississippi National Guard in 1988 as a second lieutenant through the University of Southern Mississippi ROTC program. He was stationed in Egypt during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, in Germany to take part in the “Reforger 91” Exercise, in Florida to lend support during Hurricane Andrew Disaster Relief Operations, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to support the Haitian Migration Repatriation Operations, in the Republic of Panama for jungle operation training, in South Korea as part of the Eighth U.S. Army “ULCHI FOCUS LENS” Exercise, in Iraq with Operation Iraqi Freedom and in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. Weaver has been awarded the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, two Humanitarian Service Crosses, the Mississippi Magnolia Cross, two Mississippi Magnolia Medals, the Army Parachutist Badge, the Order of Saint Maurice, the Order of Saint Christopher and the Order of Samuel Sharp. He retired a brigadier general and currently serves as a JROTC senior army instructor at Franklin County High School.

“I am honored and humbled by this gift,” said Weaver. “I love this county. I love the people, and I love the families.”

The second quilt was presented to Lyons. He served eight years in the U.S. Marines and is a Korean War veteran. Lyons entered as a private and retired a E4 Buck Sergeant. He was stationed at Parris Island in South Carolina, Camp Pendleton in California, Korea, Philippians, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Okinawan, Japan, and Albany, Georgia. He was awarded the Purple Heart during his service.

“I really appreciate y’all’s thought and love that went into this quilt,” said Lyons. “It is an honor for y’all to remember my service. There’s a lot that have been forgotten. Our war was the forgotten war. I really appreciate this.”

Cindy Hebert, Brookhaven Piecemaker Quilters member, helps Craig Weaver and his wife Renee hold the patriotic quilt that was made for them by the PQG Monday.