The Peacemakers Quilters presented their 67th Quilt of Valor to Matthew D. Bricker, Special/E4 Army National Guard, during the annual Veterans Day ceremony last Tuesday, Dec. 11, at Fayette High School. The ceremony is presented each year by the Howard County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Bricker joined the Army National Guard in January 2014. He reported to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for basic training. Upon completion, he received further training as a Combat Medic AIT-Joint Base San Antonio at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

In March 2017, he was deployed to the Middle East under Operation Enduring Freedom and Spartan Shield, serving as a combat medic. During this time, Matthew stated that he enjoyed teaching other soldiers combat life-saving skills and providing good medical care with a great team.

In his off time, he could normally be found in the gym. That deployment ended in November 2017, and he returned home to continue his National Guard duties.

While he is waiting for his next expected deployment in February 2026, Matthew works as an EMT for the Howard County Ambulance Service.

For his service to his country, Matthew has received the Air Assault Badge, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device.

Also honored during the service was Robert Edward Paige, the first Fayette serviceman to be killed in the Vietnam War.

He was only 20 years old and had been in Vietnam for only about two months when he was killed in an ambush. Born on February 9, 1947, to Mr. and Mrs. George Barnett, he attended Fayette High School, where he played football and ran track, graduating in 1965. He later worked for the US Postal Service in Kansas when he was drafted into service. Paige took his basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood and began his tour on January 10, 1967, as a member of the 9th Infantry Division. He was killed on March 18, 1967, in Binh Long, South Vietnam. His body was returned to Fayette, where he received burial with full military honors in the Fayette City Cemetery.

Keynote speaker and Vietnam veteran JY Miller told the audience that Paige is the brother of every student present, because he was a Fayette Falcon.

“He wanted to serve his country, but the Vietnam War was raging, and he told people close to him that he did not expect to make it home. Sadly, his intuition proved to be correct,” Miller said.

In 1998, the name of Liberty Park in Fayette was changed to Paige-Liberty Park in his honor.

Additional photos appear on Page 5 of this newspaper.