06/30/2026
The Stitching Hearts Quilts of Valor group from Abercrombie was honored to award a Quilt of Valor recently on a beautiful evening at a F-M Red Hawks baseball game in Fargo.
After graduating from high school, Ned C. followed in his father’s footsteps and went to the US Military Academy at West Point to pursue an Army career with the goal was to become an Army pilot. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Field Artillery and attended Artillery Officer basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Ned was sent to join the 101st Airmobile Division in the Republic of Vietnam as an artillery forward observer. He was stationed in northern Vietnam, near I Corp, Da Nang, and Phu Bai. In June 1971, Ned was working with an infantry company during a battalion sweep to locate a North Vietnamese Army base camp near Phu Bai, when his unit stopped for the night on a hilltop. The next morning, his company commander informed him that a helicopter was on its way to take him back for promotion to 1st Lieutenant. He went to gather up his gear from where he had slept, and when he reached down to pick up his rucksack, he stepped on a b***y trap that was located almost exactly where he had been sleeping. His helicopter ride changed from a ride for a promotion to a medivac rushing him for lifesaving and emergency surgery. Ned lost his right leg below the knee and half of his left foot.
For his service in Vietnam Ned was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He was evacuated to a hospital in Japan for three weeks before being transferred to Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Denver. In 1972, while an outpatient at the medical center, he obtained his private pilot license and commercial pilot license, using the GI bill. Following his discharge from the medical center in November 1973, he returned to active duty, serving with the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division and the 29th Field Artillery Battalion, achieving the rank of Captain at Fort Carson, Colorado. Physical difficulties eventually led him to accept a medical discharge in August 1975.
After leaving the military, Ned went to work for Denver Avionics under VA’s Vocational Rehab program. He moved to Fargo in 1976 to assume operation of a fixed base operation offering charter, flight training, maintenance, and aircraft sales, a business he sold in 1985. During this time, he also started a computer business, and this computer expertise helped the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) National Service Office set up their computer system.
In September 1985, Ned became employed as a Department of Veterans Affairs Prosthetic Trainee and within four months was named the Chief of Prosthetic and Sensory Aids at the Fargo VA. Ned was named the DAV’s Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year in 1996. Ned worked at the Fargo VA from 1985 to 2009.
Ned is involved in MANY activities within the community. He has been the game clock operator for the NDSU Bison football games for 15 years. He is involved with youth baseball, soccer, football, and track and field. Ned is also a life member of the American Legion, VFW and Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
This quilt symbolizes our heartfelt thanks for his service and sacrifice in defending our country. It is a tangible expression of gratitude, recognizing the sacrifices he made on behalf of all Americans, and a reminder that freedom is precious and comes with a cost. Thank you for your service, sacrifice, and valor in serving our great country.
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