We Honor Veterans Recognizes Service

We Honor Veterans is a program designed to thank veterans and their families for their sacrifice and service to our country.

Veteran Support

Gilchrist works together with local VA offices and as a result, hospice providers are better equipped to understand the complex end-of-life care needs of veterans.

Gilchrist ensures that this special group is recognized and respected. We do this through important discussions, life review and special salute to service ceremonies. Call our veteran coordinator with questions or for more information at 443.849.8337.

Our Commitment

Since July 2012, Gilchrist has completed four levels of the We Honor Veterans partnership program. As a result, we have made great strides in our ability to better serve veterans and their families. By earning the four-star program rating, we show our commitment to providing the highest quality end-of-life care for veterans.

Salute to Service Ceremonies

Watch a video about our Salute to Service Ceremonies

A touching part of the program is the salute to service ceremony. It allows us to say “thank you” to veterans for their service to our nation. And it shows that we recognize the hardships that all veterans have endured as a result of their willingness to risk their lives to maintain our freedom.

Working with the veteran’s family, the Gilchrist staff and volunteers come together to present the veteran with a special pin. This service is a token of our thanks and gratitude. We hope that every time a veteran sees their pin, they know their military service is deeply appreciated.

Gilchrist has performed hundreds of special, and even large-scale, salute to service ceremonies for veterans over the years. Please take a moment to view some of their stories.

Vet-to-Vet Task Force

Watch a video about our Vet-to-Vet Task Force

Another component of our We Honor Veterans program is the Vet-to-Vet Task Force. It is a volunteer-based service that provides active duty or veteran outreach to our veteran hospice population. Nothing can compare to the intrinsic bond, trust and camaraderie of someone who understands the military experience.

Welcome Home Celebration

Watch a video about our Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Celebration

Gilchrist’s Welcome Home celebration honors the veterans in our care as well as all of the veterans in our community. The celebration coincides with Maryland’s Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day, signed into law by Former Governor, Larry Hogan in 2015. This celebration is one of the many ways Gilchrist recognizes the unique needs of veterans. The celebration thanks them for their sacrifice and service to our country. Learn more about the event.

Veterans History Project

Veterans History Project

Veteran volunteers accompany students to interview our veteran patients about their military service. Then they submit the written or recorded work to the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. This will help future generations to better understand the realities of war. The submission is also given as a gift to the veteran and their family. Whenever possible, the interviews are conducted by students from the local high schools we partner with.

Operation Gratitude

operation gratitude

Veteran volunteers visit local elementary, middle and high school students. While there, they read to students and share their stories about service to our country. In return, the children make cards of gratitude that we give to veterans during our tributes. Cards are also given out at our events on Veterans Day and Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. Operation Gratitude is our way of engaging younger generations to honor and pay tribute to our veterans.

Special thanks to the students from Stevenson University who put this Salute to Service video together!

Salute to Service Ceremonies

Watch a few videos of special events to honor our veterans.

We Need More Thank You Cards For Our Veterans

Our veteran volunteers have not been able to go to schools this past year where they normally ask students to make cards thanking veterans. Those cards are then given to veterans during Salute to Service Tributes. We are asking you to help us to spread the word that we are in need of more cards from students! Hand-made or store-bought cards will be accepted, we just ask that the message focuses on thanking veterans for their service and sacrifice and not on getting well or feeling better.

Cards can be mailed to:
Gilchrist
Attn: We Honor Veterans program
11311 McCormick Rd, Ste. 350
Hunt Valley, MD 21031

We Honor Veterans Newsletter

Gilchrist is dedicated to honoring those who have served our country in the military. We publish an e-newsletter for military veterans and their families focusing on the veterans under our care.

The purpose of this newsletter is to connect and inform veterans and includes:

To receive copies of our We Honor Veterans Newsletter or to request previous editions, please contact Kim McDonnell, We Honor Veterans Coordinator, at kmcdonnell@gilchristcares.org.

Learn More About Our We Honor Veterans Program