SALISBURY — Local veteran Rodney Cress added another accommodation to a long list of recognitions on Thursday. It might not have been a medal, but when members of Freedom Piecemakers draped the Quilt of Valor around his neck, he said it felt just like one.

Cress was surrounded by several people at Ben Mynatt Nissan for the presentation. Janet Oliver of the Freedom Piecemakers Group shared a little background of Cress and her own organization.

“Rodney has been actively engaged in his community and dedicated to his country since his high school years,” she said. “Throughout his life, he has earned numerous certificates, accolades and awards at both local and state levels. With an impressive tenure of 50 years as a sworn deputy, he has made significant contributions to law enforcement.

“Rodney served in the Army from 1970 to 1971, completing non-commissioned officer training at Fort Benning, Georgia, before taking on the role of Sergeant Squad leader in Vietnam, where he was awarded two Bronze stars. One Bronze star was for a battle against an North Vietnam Army ambush on his 10-man squad on March 7, 1971, which included a German Shepherd scout dog (Tony) that warned them just second before the attack. His men survived a 90-minute battle. He was inducted in the N.C. Military Veterans Hall of Fame in 2021.”

Cress took the floor and shared about that time in his life that is scribed into his personal history book. He told of how long the nights were and how they would erect claymore mine perimeters to protect them from encroaching enemy combatants.

“There is nothing more deafening than a claymore mine going off at midnight and hearing people screaming,” he said.

Cress choked up talking about the dog that alerted them to nearby combatants.

“So my 10-man squad were very good at what we did, but on this day, unfortunately, we were following footsteps that had crossed a stream, and the dog and the dog handler are always at front,” he said. “These dogs are so fantastic. They can pick up the vibration that would trip wire just by the wind blowing or whatever.”

Cress said Tony’s dog handler later became the mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, the state’s capital.

“So on this particular day, the dog got really excited,” Cress said. “As we moved closer, we all silenced up and tightened up, and we went strictly into hand signals instead of verbal signals. And then the dog went into a full alert. And when he does that, he just freezes the hair on his back and just stands straight up, and he’s totally focusing, and he’s sitting there and just shaking.”

A brutal 90-minute firefight ensued and Cress still wonders how he survived.

“We were getting fired from all three sides, hand grenades and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades),” he said.

Cress gestured out to a second row of cars, describing how close the proximity was to enemy fire. He described the limited visibility caused by the thick underbrush and suffocating canopy of the jungle. His troop was not fully equipped for the fighting that followed and soon approached the end of their ammunition.

“We called in helicopters to drop us ammunition,” he said “Of course, (the enemy) was shooting up at the helicopters. Because of the triple canopy, they can’t see you and have no line of sight.”

At that moment, they realized they just needed to get away from the zone, prompting Cress and his men to crawl 500 yards away.

“Then the lieutenant called in an air strike, exactly where we were,” he said.

It turned out, the zone was a hot spot of enemy combatants, as Cress noted their heightened defense of the area reflected its significance.

“Everybody that was in my squad that day were all heroes,” he said, before again crediting Tony the German Shepherd.

“On this particular day, we were very fortunate enough to have this white German Shepherd,” he said. “This is only the second time we’d ever used a German Shepherd. Both times they saved our life.”

Cress has a portrait of that dog hanging in his office. That dog actually made it back to the U.S., which he said was rare for canine companions in combat. Since then, Cress has spent his life trying to give back to his community of fellow Rowan County residents and fellow veterans, making many of the latter a priority.

The Freedom Piecemakers Group wanted to make sure that Cress was recognized for all of those contributions.

Quilts of Valor is a national non-profit organization that was established 21 years ago by a mother whose son was deployed to Iraq. Since its inception, the organization has distributed over 405,649 quilts across all 50 states, facilitated by various local groups, including our own in Salisbury.

“Our group, known as the Freedom Piecemakers, was founded 3.5 years ago and is part of a network of nearly 700 groups nationwide,” Oliver said. “In the past three years, we have proudly presented close to 200 quilts to veterans residing in Rowan, Davidson and Davie counties.”

Noting of Cress, Oliver said, “On the state level, he has collaborated with committees alongside Congressman Richard Burr and we are grateful for the presence of representatives from Senator Tillis and Senator Budd’s offices at this ceremony as we honor Rodney for his military service.”

“Of all of the awards that I’ve got, I’m very excited to get them, but I think what that helps me do is tell the veterans that I’m helping, that I’ve been there with them,” Cress said. “It’s easier to get a veteran to open up to you if you are also a veteran, especially a combat veteran.”

He credits that for his life’s work and he wants to continue to help the lives of his fellow veterans.

“We owe everything to those who have served,” he said.