Sixty years of working in the community has made Norman Rone a local celebrity in Warren County. He’s been an optometrist for so long, many just refer to him as ‘Doc.’ But before he was an eye doctor or McMinnville’s mayor, Rone was a major.
His service in both the Air Force and National Guard was honored last week when he was presented a special keepsake from the Quilt of Valor Foundation. Cheryl Hitchcock presided over a ceremony to honor Rone with a handmade quilt, a surprise recognition for a man who has spent his life in service.
“It was a very nice thing and I appreciate it so much,” said Rone following the reception held at Eye Centers of Tennessee.
Rone’s quilt was a local touch to carrying on the legacy Catherine Roberts began in 2003. Over 400,000 quilts have been provided to veterans and active servicemen in the last two decades, a tradition started when Roberts wanted to find a way to connect with her son Nat when he was deployed in Iraq.
According to the Quilt of Valor website, Roberts’ inspiration came to her one night and she worked to make it a reality ever since.
From the website recalling Roberts’ dream: “The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was: Quilts equal healing.”
Many felt Rone, who is readying himself for retirement following a long career locally, was more than deserving. Lt Col Jon Flanders, the Vice Commander of American Legion Post 173, helped nominate Rone for the honor, while Eye Centers of TN CEO Ray Mays – known during his time in the US Marine Corp as Lt. Ray Mays – was at the event and presented Rone with a challenge coin to recognize the local for going above and beyond when he was called into duty.
Rone can still vividly recall who called back in 1955 to let him know he was being called into active duty.
“My dad was the chairman of the draft board. I was in school in Knoxville at the time studying pre-med. He called and asked if I was taking JROTC, which I said would be pretty tough with the course load I had. He said, ‘Your number is coming up. You’re going to be drafted,’” said Rone. “I had a choice of what branch I could join and I decided on the Air Force.
“After I finished my four years of active duty and did another four years in active reserves, I was discharged. I later joined the National Guard for six years. I was commissioned and came out with the rank of major.”
During his time in the Air Force, Rone was put in the medical corps and worked in psychiatric care.
“We worked with returning people from Korea and World War II veterans who were having difficulties with PTSD – they were getting into trouble and getting discharged. It was unfortunate for them,” said Rone. “We were able to return some of those guys to active duty. It was a very meaningful job to help them.”
Rone can rest assured his service was always appreciated. And now, he can rest in an important quilt too.
