Debbie Conrad of Ventnor presents Bill Carson of Longport with a handmade Quilt of Valor.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
LONGPORT Sunny Saturday, Feb. 12 was a great day to have a Valentine's Day party. But an unsuspecting veteran brought to the Longport Seaview hospitality suite under the guise of enjoying sweetheart luncheon learned instead that it was Bill Carson Day in Longport.
He did not receive a heart-shaped box of chocolates from his sweetheart. But he did receive something made from the loving hands of American sewers who routinely bring warmth and comfort to those great Americans who served during active military conflicts.
Quiltmaker Debbie Conrad presented musician and retired Chief Warrant Officer William G. Carson with a Quilt of Valor for his 30 year career in the U.S. Coast Guard. Longport Commissioner and Deputy Mayor Daniel Lawler presented him with a Proclamation naming Feb. 12 William G. Carson Day in Longport and invited him to take a tour of the southern tip of Absecon Island aboard the borough Volunteer Fire Department's repurposed Coast Guard rescue boat that's docked at the rear of Borough Hall.
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The small gathering took place at the Longport Seaview meeting room overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, where Carson lives with his wife Janice.
After he retired four years ago, the couple moved to Longport Seaview from Mays Landing. In the first few years, they stayed in their condo during the summer and rented it out in the off season while they traveled the nation in their RV. Now, they live there year round enjoying spectacular sunsets viewed from their west facing condo and everything else Longport has to offer retirees. After all, as Mayor Nicholas Russo often says, It's always sunny and 80 in Longport.
Conrad said the purpose of Quilts of Valor, a national organization that has presented nearly 300,000 handmade quilts to worthy veterans, is to give honor and comfort to military veterans who have experienced the worst of wars.
Quilts mean healing, and we give them with thanks for your service, she said.
Conrad said quilting groups around the nation are rushing to make quilts for aging World War II and Korean War veterans, but the most appreciative are our Vietnam veterans, she said.
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Carson began his military career in February 1978 after he graduated from basic training and became a percussion section leader in the U.S. Coast Guard Band. He was promoted to Chief Petty Officer and quickly rose through the ranks to become Public Affairs Officer at the Coast Guard's training center in Cape May City.
During his tenure, he created the 20-member Bicentennial Band, which entertained troops all along the East Coast. According to the proclamation, he participated in 640 recruit graduations and attended seven Presidential Inaugurations.
He is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal and was personally honored by President George W. Bush.
William G. Carson has earned the respect and admiration of all those who have been fortunate enough to have known and worked with him, the proclamation stated.
I'm shocked and humbled by this honor, he told his friends gathered for the presentation. I did what I loved for 30 years, and the time flew by so quickly. I didn't want to leave, but it was time.
Betty Devereaux further surprised Carson by reading a poem she wrote with her husband John, that began, Roses are red& and ended with a toast to the USCG, Here, here.
Attendees enjoyed a specially decorated cake and received carefully wrapped cookies made in the form of a sailboat. To each was attached a little bracelet with seafaring symbols.
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