A onetime city carrier assistant in Minden, NE, recently received a special tribute to his military service from two former USPS colleagues.
Dustin Schutt became a city carrier assistant about three years ago. In mid-2018, he put his career on hold as he prepared to depart for Kuwait with the Army National Guard.
Schutt was friends with many of his co-workers in Minden, including Retail Associate Debra Harms.
“Deb’s wonderful. She’s very kind to military members,” Schutt said.
When Schutt departed for Kuwait, Harms and Minden Postmaster Kristine Jenniges began to plan a surprise.
The women, who are both avid quilters, created a “quilt of valor” for Schutt and presented it to him when he returned from Kuwait. Quilts of valor are made especially to honor members of the armed forces.
“Both Kris and I love to quilt, so any opportunity to make a quilt and give it to someone who has served our country was an honor we couldn’t pass up,” Harms said.
The quilt features a log cabin pattern and the colors red, white and blue. Schutt was surprised when Harms and Jenniges presented it to him.
This was the first time Jenniges had the opportunity to make a quilt to honor a military member.
“This meant a lot to me and Deb,” Jenniges said. “We were both very proud that we got to do this.”