A Final Mission: Veteran Volunteer Art Grau’s Journey with Gilchrist
For veteran volunteer Art Grau, the journey of service began long before he ever walked into a Gilchrist event. From 1965 to 1969, he served in the U.S. Army Security Agency during the Vietnam War, carrying a top-secret clearance through some of the most challenging years of the conflict. Decades later, that same spirit of service led him to Gilchrist’s We Honor Veterans program—an experience he describes as life-changing.
His path to Gilchrist began with one decision in 2018: attending the inaugural Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day Celebration at Martin’s West. Art’s wife found the event online and encouraged him to go. At first, he resisted. The memories of Vietnam were still raw, even after decades. “This could represent a mountain-sized and excruciating scab removal,” he recalls. “The thought of figuratively going up into that attic, and retrieving those rancid memories, turned my stomach. What purpose would it serve?!”
But he went anyway. “I sat in the parking lot hoping for any valid reason not to attend—maybe a flat tire, maybe a heart attack,” Art admits. “After stalling for an inordinate amount of time, something pushed me out of the car, and I made a fateful, final decision to go in.” That decision, he says, changed the course of his life.
A Healing Experience
The moment Art entered the crowded banquet hall, he felt something shift. “Large groups of men and women in uniforms and civilian clothes greeted us with warm smiles, ‘Thank you for your service,’ and ‘Welcome home.’ After shaking so many hands, it immediately struck me—I wasn’t alone! My doors to more healing were now unexpectedly opening.”
The ceremonies that followed, from the presentation of the colors to the powerful three-part salute honoring fallen comrades, gave Art something he hadn’t known he needed: recognition, connection, and a path forward. “The final push and decision to attend this event became the grand opening to a dramatic alteration in the direction of my life,” he says.
Facing Illness, Finding Purpose
Soon after that first celebration, Art and his wife received unsettling news: he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, a condition linked to exposure to Agent Orange. “We were left reeling,” he remembers.
In November 2018, Johns Hopkins performed major surgery, and after months of recovery, Art was declared cancer-free. That turning point gave him the clarity to follow through on something he had long considered—volunteering.
“The thought of working in hospice was, to me, the perfect opportunity,” Art explains. “Getting on the airplane in Vietnam in 1969, I felt a gaping wound starting to close. Now, through Gilchrist, I could finally fulfill my promise to serve veterans.”
Giving Back Through Gilchrist
After that first Welcome Home event, Art became an active member of Gilchrist’s We Honor Veterans task force and trained as a veteran volunteer. He now provides Salute to Service ceremonies for veterans entering hospice care, visiting them in their homes, assisted living facilities, or at Gilchrist’s inpatient centers. “Every salute gives us the opportunity to meet heroes and their loved ones who sacrificed so much for our country,” Art explains.
In addition, Art and other Gilchrist veteran volunteers visit senior centers, speak to elementary school students about the meaning of service, and organize community events for Veterans Day and Memorial Day. “The more I think about working with veterans, the more humbled and blessed I feel,” Art shares. “Perhaps I’ll be able to pay forward what I wasn’t able to give to my buddies who I left in Vietnam. The golden opportunity to give back to my heroes is now available to me. This will be my final mission.”
Healing Through Service
Through Gilchrist, Art has found a new way to serve, one rooted in compassion, connection, and honoring the bond he shares with his fellow veterans. “When I left Vietnam in 1969, I felt I was leaving my buddies behind. That wound never healed. Volunteering with Gilchrist gives me the chance to finally close that gap, to give back, and to honor them.”
For Art, what began as one hesitant step into a crowded banquet hall has become a lifelong commitment. “This will be my final mission,” he says with conviction.
From Soldier to Storyteller
Art served in the U.S. Army Security Agency from 1965 to 1969, holding a top-secret clearance during the height of the Vietnam War. Like many of his fellow soldiers, he returned home to a nation divided, often burying his experiences deep inside.
Decades later, he found healing not only through Gilchrist’s celebrations, but also through writing. Art is the author of We Gotta Get Out of This Place: One Soldier’s Long Journey Home, a memoir tracing his service, struggles, and road to recovery. The book has touched veterans and civilians alike for its honesty and emotional depth.
Through his service, his storytelling, and his steadfast commitment to honoring fellow veterans, Art reminds us that healing and purpose can be found at any stage of life—and that some missions are meant to last a lifetime.
To learn more about Gilchrist’s We Honor Veterans Program, visit: https://gilchristcares.org/services/hospice-care/specialized-hospice-programs/whv/
Learn more about Art’s journey in his memoir We Gotta Get Out of This Place: One Soldier’s Long Journey Home: https://a.co/d/1n23JPq