Rick Darling, a longtime member of Malta Bend Memorial Post 558, was awarded a Quilt of Valor® at Monday night’s meeting for his military service. Donna Rothermich, a member of the Quilts of Valor® Foundation, made the quilt for the presentation.

Darling, a U.S. Army veteran, served on active duty from 1966 to 1968 at various duty stations, including overseas service in Germany. After separation from active duty he joined the Missouri Army National Guard, with several periods of federal service, the last of which was at Fort Lewis, Wash., where he served as a military policeman. He said one of the highlights of his Guard career was serving on a security detail for President George W. Bush. Over the years he held many jobs in the military, ranging from artilleryman, infantryman, armored vehicle crewman, aviation maintenance crew chief, scout-sniper and military policeman. After his retirement from the National Guard, Darling spends his time building and working on race cars.