Henry Van Eschen became one of the latest of the 167,000 or so American veterans who have received a Quilt of Valor on Sunday. The former World War II ambulance driver, teacher and insurance provider received his gift, made by Rita Moore, on Saturday, at the Virginia Gay Hospital's Nursing and Rehab Center. Many of his family members joined Quilt of Valor representatives during the presentation. Rita has made quilts for several area veterans. Along with the quilt, there was a display of memorabilia from Henry's days in World War II, as well as an article from the recent VGH Thrive Magazine about his service during World War II. Inspired by Pearl Harbor, Henry joined the U.S. Army, and ended up as an ambulance driver in Burma. He shared part of his story in that Thrive interview: "In Burma, the big guns were behind us, shooting over our heads toward the enemy," Henry recalls, "and we would carry our wounded on bamboo stretchers to our field hospital. They received front-line medical care and then hopefully, they would live to be transported to a larger hospital. Most of our patients were Chinese, though we treated Africans as well as the Americans known as Merrill's Marauders." The "Marauders" were an all-volunteer American force of nearly 3,000 soldiers who engaged in deep penetration raids behind the Japanese lines in Burma and China. While Henry was in Asia, his brother, Warren, a Navy B-17 pilot, was shot down over Berlin and ended up as a POW. Warren, who lost part leg when his plane exploded, died in 1975. He was featured in a book about Iowa WWII veterans. That book was also on display on Sunday. The Van Eschen family had planned the gathering months ago, expecting to help celebrate with Henry and his wife Delores, who marked their 65th wedding anniversary on June 18. Henry's 93rd birthday will be Sept. 30. But Delores passed away on Aug. 16. Although it was difficult to celebrate the milestone while still mourning the loss of their wife and mother, daughter Peggy Weideman said it was important for the family to gather to celebrate Henry's service to his country. Along with his family, several friends and former business associates also stopped by to congratulate Henry. Among the items on display were a unique Japanese money belt, and a small Japanese flag, which contains a variety of writing in Japanese. The group involved in organizing the quilt presentation and finishing the quilt is named The Freedom Stitchers, part of the nationwide Quilt of Valor organization. See more about the Quilts of Valor program HERE. See more photos of Henry and his family during the presentation HERE. See a video of Henry discussing his service below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pYTLFqF5Ck