Quilt of Valor awarded to Cherokee Village veteran

Paul Grindol

Special to White River Now by Mary Kocz

The Quilt of Valor Foundation’s mission is “to award veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.” The word “award” is intentional. Quilts are not donated but awarded, like a medal, in a ceremony intended to honor the veteran and show appreciation for service, sacrifice and valor. Each full-size quilt is crafted with love and care, using designs that reflect patriotism.

On Dec. 3, at his home in Cherokee Village, Paul Grindol, 97, was awarded a Quilt of Valor by the Mountain Home chapter of the Quilt of Valor Foundation. Arlene Myslinski, the Arkansas group leader, along with two QOVF volunteers, presented the award, saying, “We are humbled to stand before you who have served our country, performed your duty and fought for the freedoms we enjoy.”

Grindol served in World War II and was deployed to Japan. “At only 18 years old, I had the most important job of my life. After rigorous testing — IQ, mental and physical — I was chosen to be in command of incoming property at the Tokyo QM Quartermaster Depot, serving 500,000 military personnel in the Pacific region, including Japan, Korea and many island groups,” he said.

After his term of service ended, Grindol attended the University of Michigan. His schooling was interrupted by a letter from President Truman calling him to serve in the Korean War. He was trained as a medic and assigned as a litter squad leader. He and his squad collected the wounded from the battlefield and transported them to field hospitals. One memory continues to haunt him: picking up a soldier who had stepped on a land mine, along with the soldier’s arms and legs, which were severed in the explosion.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Grindol spent his working life in the financial field. He worked as an accountant at Kellogg’s, then as an accounting supervisor. After moving to Oregon, he became administrative supervisor for the city of Salem, then financial supervisor for the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles, and later comptroller at Fairview Hospital and Training Center, which employed 1,400 people and served 200 live-in clients. He often served as head of Fairview.

During his time at Fairview, the evangelical church he joined recognized the need for a larger building but lacked the funds to construct it. Grindol and another man physically built the 5,000-square-foot church, which he largely financed himself. A close friend later painted a picture of the church, which hangs in his home.

After moving to Michigan with his wife, Betty, to care for her parents, Grindol operated a farm with 40 cows and grew vegetables. He also purchased a sawmill and, with a small crew, built 10 houses. In addition, he hired a small crew to plant 100,000 trees.

Because of Betty’s declining health, the couple moved to Arkansas for better medical options. She died before she could be treated.

Grindol has lived in Arkansas for 20 years.

Image submitted