Two veterans were honored with Quilts of Valor during Northern Exposure to Lifelong Learning鈥檚 program on the History of Quilting, presented by Gladys Lueken on April 23.
The first veteran honored with a Quilt of Valor was Terry Wayne Hoie. He was born and raised in Clearwater County and graduated from Bagley High school in 1965.
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Hoie was drafted into the U.S. Army on Oct. 19, 1966. He did his basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas. He then did further training at Fort Eustis in Williamsburg, Va.
He was trained as a supply specialist and was deployed to Vietnam in March 1967, where his duties included unloading ammo and later serving as a bartender.
Upon returning stateside, he served at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he helped train soldiers. In his last year in the military, he was the drill sergeant. He was discharged with exactly three years of service on Oct. 19, 1969, with the rank of Sergeant E5. Hoie earned various medals during his service, including Vietnam In-Country.
After his time in the service, Hoie worked for Trefz Implement, selling IH equipment and became a partner for 20 years. He later joined Gesell Concrete, selling landscape material and Allen Block. He recently retired from the business.
Hoie has also been a leader in his community, serving as president of the Sons of Norway and organizer and first president of the Clearwater Trail Blazer Snowmobile Club.
As a charter member of Lake Itasca Regional Pioneer Farmers, he recently completed a six-year term as a board member. When local farmers wanted to start a threshing show, he organized a tractor ride through the state park during the show.
Hoie is a lifetime member of both the VFW and the American Legion Irvine Blix Post No. 16 in Bagley. He is proud to have a paver stone at the Clearwater County Veterans Memorial site along with his dad, Orville Hoie, who served six years during World War II, and his brother, Donald (better known as Pete) who served as a U.S. Marine.
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The second veteran to be honored at the NELL program was Paul Hopke. He is a lifelong resident of Clearwater County, graduating with the class of 1968. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
Hopke completed his basic training at the Great Lakes Navy Base near Chicago. While there, he attended gunner school. His extended training was completed at Mare Island in San Francisco.
Before the In Country era of the Vietnam War, Hopke was deployed for 12 months on a river boat. The remainder of his time in Vietnam was spent as a Vietnamese instructor.
His last duty station was Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Fla., aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt Carrier CVA42. He was discharged with the rank of Gunner's Mate in 1972.
During his military career with the US Navy, he received the following awards: National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four stars, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Achievement Medal, Navy Accommodation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnamese Second class Training Service Honor Medal and the Vietnamese Gallantry with Silver Star Medal.
Hopke joined the American Legion Irvine Blix Post 16 upon his return and received his 50-year recognition of continuous membership three years ago. He is proud to have a paver stone at the Clearwater County Veterans Memorial site in Bagley, along with his father, Arthur Hopke, who served during World War II.
In 1974, he married Karen Lindgren and together they have two children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, all girls.
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Hopke worked for the Bagley Co-op Association, where he was the manager for the last 12 years of his employment. He also served on the Bagley Fire Department for approximately 20 years.
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