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WWII veteran awarded Quilt of Honor on 96th birthday celebration

DANA, Ind. (WTHI) – Emerson Mishler went out for lunch for his birthday celebration. He’s 95, going on 96 Saturday, and still telling jokes from his time overseas.

“Well there was a banana tree there and they said well we’ve been eating those things. Well I ate one and I had to have gotten better to even die,” he said.

He didn’t know his friends and family were also there for another special occasion.

“We want to present this to you and we want to tell you welcome home and thank you for your service to this great nation,” said Judy Brown with Old Glory Quilters and The Wounded Warrior Project.

Members of the Wounded Warrior Project decided it was the perfect time to give the WWII veteran a Quilt of Honor.

“A quilt? You can take it with you everywhere. You can take it with you to the hospital you can hold onto it forever and no one can ever take it away,” Brown said.

A blanket of comfort to honor a man they call a hometown hero.

“Well, as a surprise party you did real well,” Mishler said.