United States Army veteran Sergeant First Class Bruce Dirks was awarded a Quilt of Valor from Golden Plains Quilts of Valor on May 1, 2023, at Locust Grove in La Crosse.  Dirks served from February 1951 to November 1952. The quilt top was made by Phyllis Manhart; quilting by Amy Schartz Mellor. Dirks is shown with Phyllis Manhart, left, and Margaret Evers, right.