Quilters on mission for fallen soldier

PLYMOUTH - Before Sgt. Amy Krueger, a Kiel native, died in the Fort Hood shooting, she had a request: camouflage quilts for her unit. That request is being fulfilled in Plymouth with the help of many volunteers. The volunteers with the Camo Quilt Project are on a mission for sergeant Amy Krueger.

“She had already received a quilt from me and she sent a thank you,” said coordinator Linda Wieck.

On Sept. 29, Krueger followed that thank you with a request for 45 of these quilts for her unit. Wieck and her husband DuWayne said the quilt was a useful item Krueger wanted everyone to have.

“Some of them say they use them to throw over the tops of their vehicles when it heats up in the sun to keep themselves from burning,” said DuWayne Wieck.

Krueger's request was a difficult one. Camo Quilt is already behind more than 200 requests for other soldiers. It takes between three and five hours for one person to make one quilt. Making 45 blankets before Krueger's unit is deployed overseas in December would be impossible with only three of the usual volunteers. But Linda Wieck said when news of Krueger's death arrived, hundreds of volunteers stepped up.

“We've got people all the way from south of Milwaukee to Madison. It's just great,” she said.

Ninety yards of batting, 180 yards of fabric and 3000 yards of thread - that's how much material is going into thee 45 quilts. Not to mention hundreds of hours of volunteer labor.

“It's a labor of love, for everybody,” said Linda.

“It really made me feel good to be a part of,” said volunteer Janet Klug.

Sewing, cutting, ironing, and pinning a special ribbon as the finishing touch. There's a job for everyone who is making a soldiers last request a reality. Krueger's family members say they are deeply touched by the quick response from the community

“It's so special to see all the volunteers that are here. There's a lot of love going into everything here today,” said Dan Krueger.

It's another way a small community has pulled together in a big way. To honor someone these people say was larger than life.

For more information on the volunteer group, click here.