Gilchrist Celebrates Military Appreciation Month
May is Military Appreciation Month, a time to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. The month concludes with Memorial Day. This is a day of remembrance that many Americans observe. Some ways to show remembrance include visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades.
For Gilchrist, honoring and remembering our veterans and service members doesn’t happen just once a year—it’s a 365-day commitment. One of the most important times to remind a veteran how much their service matters is when they are nearing the end of life. That’s the idea behind Gilchrist’s We Honor Veterans Salute to Service program.
Gilchrist holds brief ceremonies for each veteran patient, conducted by uniformed military veteran volunteers and staff. The ceremony includes a military salute and a presentation of a veteran’s pin, a ‘thank you’ card, and a handmade patriotic quilt. The ceremony also includes music from the veteran’s branch of service. Tributes to honor a veteran’s military service are extremely meaningful for the veteran and their family. It’s a way for Gilchrist to say “thank you” to veterans for their sacrifice and service to our nation.
Salute to Service
Our amazing Salute to Service teams performs outstanding tributes to all our brothers and sisters who committed a portion of their lives to our country. A dedicated team of volunteers goes out to the community to show their respect and gratitude to these service members. Even during these trying times of pandemic and unrest in our country, never once has any team failed to recognize, honor and salute our fellow veterans and service members when called upon.
Imagine a family telling you that their loved one has not been responsive to others – but when we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, they try to salute. When we play their service hymn, they tap their fingers or feet to the tune. Seeing the family members in tears because they have not had any previous response from their loved one is an indescribable emotion and memory for our teams.
I, along with the other volunteers of Gilchrist, am very proud to be a part of these teams that pay tribute to our fellow veterans and service members.
As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, we at Gilchrist join the nation in remembering the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
To learn more about Gilchrist’s We Honor Veterans program, visit gilchristcares.org/whv. To support our work, visit gilchristcares.org/give.