Robert Dotson was honored Sunday afternoon and presented with a Quilt of Valor in recognition of his military service.  

The Hartselle man is a veteran of the Vietnam War with a lengthy resume from his time in the U.S. Army. Dotson was in the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, about 300 feet from where the plane crashed into the building.  

Drafted in 1966, Dotson served one tour in Vietnam, doing search and destroy missions with the 1st Calvary Division.  

He got out of the military but found few opportunities for soldiers who had served in Vietnam, so, Dotson re-enlisted and served 26 years and five days as a chief warrant officer before permanently leaving the military.  

From 1992–2000 he was in classified operations at the Pentagon. 

After his military career ended, he returned to Alabama and became a civilian employee at Redstone Arsenal. 

Mary Harris with the Quilts of Valor Foundation made the presentation to Dotson at the Hartselle Depot in front of his friends and family.  

Harris said the founder of the organization, Catherine Roberts, had definite ideas about standards of excellence for Quilts of Valor, saying the quilts are quality made, are not charity quilts and are made to be used and to bring comfort.  

 Quilts of Valor are “awarded,” not just passed out like magazines or videos, and send the message, “Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation.” 

The organization is made up of 10,000 volunteer members across 600 groups in all 50 states, and more than 250,000 QOVs have been awarded to veterans throughout the United States and overseas.