Robert Fisher
Staff Reporter
BARRY’S BAY — Husband and wife veterans Andrew Jones and Deanna Ravnsgaard were presented with Quilts of Valour (QOV) at a ceremony Saturday.
Amy Taylor, regional representative for QOV presented Jones and Ravnsgaard with their quilts during a ceremony at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 406 Saturday morning.
Ravnsgaard served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). After her initial training, she was posted to Cold Lake, then Trenton. From Trenton, she applied to fly as a crew member with the military internationally, “I just wanted to get in and see the world,” she said, “and I got in right away and started flying around the world and I did that for three years.”
The Persian Gulf War broke out and Ravnsgaard began flying into combat zones.
“Shortly after the Gulf War, at the end of that year, I had to go back to my trade again,” she explained.
Ravnsgaard had trained as a telecommunications operator. She served 20 years in the military and continued to worth with the Department of National Defense as a civilian after retiring.
Jones joined the military as tri-service, meaning he joined the military generally and not a specific branch. He was selected for the RCAF and trained as a telecommunications and cipher technician.
“They sort of killed that trade,” Jones said, and, “I became a strategic information tech, and then they killed that trade and I became an army tech.”
Jones made eight trips to Afghanistan as well as deployments in Africa and the Golan Heights. Jones had a nearly 23-year career in the military.
“Oh my God, it’s heartwarming,” Ravnsgaard said of receiving the quilt. “It’s such an honour. These people are amazing and (we’re) so appreciative and just love it. We’re both very proud to have served and people who acknowledge that, it’s an honour.”
Jones said, “we’re very grateful. And we recommend the military to anyone.”
The two live now in South Algonquin. Jones was originally from Bancroft.
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