Back in early December last year, a story popped into our hands when a woman from Arizona reported that she had found a homemade Minot AFB quilt, with no identifying marks on it, at a Goodwill store in Phoenix. She reached out to the Northern Sentry to see if we could find the owner.
A search was on. The original story broke with a plea on social media to anyone who might have information about the quilt, its owner or who made it. In the meantime, the quilt was shipped to Northern Sentry owner Ted Bolton for safekeeping.
When Ted got the quilt and inspected it more closely, he discovered that it did, in fact, have some markings on it. Since our other outreach efforts had not produced any promising leads about where this cozy quilt belonged, this was a big lead for us.
The quilt was labeled as a gift from the 5th Operations Group Bomb Staff to a certain colonel. Several attempts were made to contact the colonel, but none were successful. To protect his privacy, we have decided not to share his name. Instead, we have come to the conclusion that the quilt was likely donated on purpose and was not a lost item simply waiting to find its way home.
And honestly, that is understandable. Anyone who has served in the military, or been married to someone who has, will tell you that if you stay in long enough, your home will likely be filled with going-away gifts, wall plaques and airplane photos, enough to fill a house. You simply cannot keep everything you are given over the years and at all the different bases. Especially after a long career, I’m sure this quilt was just one of many military keepsakes that had been collected over the years.
So, for now, the quilt resides with the Bolton family. It will keep them warm this winter as they thank the person they will never know who made it, with the hope that it would one day bless another military family.
And even if that family is different from the one the quilt was originally intended for, please know, creator of the quilt: it is loved and cherished back in Minot.
The mysterious Minot AFB quilt has found its new home.
The original quilt story: https://northernsentry.com/2025/12/04/lost-minot-afb-memories-can-you-help-bring-this-quilt-home/
