As the solemn sound of “Taps” filled Homeland Center’s chapel, residents and visitors who were able stood at attention.
After the last note sounded, two veterans stepped up and folded an American flag. When they were done, each handed the folded flag to the other, who held it close to his heart while the other veteran saluted.
Homeland has long honored its veterans, whether residents or staff, but on this day, the recognition was officially enshrined in the Homeland Veterans’ Wall. From now on, residents who are veterans will be honored by having their photos displayed in a prominent hallway across from the Homeland Diner. There, their names and pictures are displayed alongside a hanging American flag, which is folded with solemnity at the dedication ceremony.
Above the display, the wall is inscribed, “With deep gratitude, we honor our veterans, today & forever.”
Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population serves in the Armed Forces, making the veterans their part of “an elite group of people,” Homeland Hospice Chaplain Todd Carver, an Army veteran, told the gathering.
“We know that without our military, the world would quickly spiral into chaos, so veterans, during your time in service, you were part of that less than 1 percent that defended our freedoms, our liberties, and our way of life,” Carver said. “I know no other way to say that than to say thank you for being America’s warriors.”
The Veterans’ Wall was inspired by Jessica Budd, a new member of the Activities staff and a U.S. Air Force veteran. On her first day at Homeland, she mentioned to Development Director Troy Beaver that she had created a veterans’ recognition area with photos on a corkboard at the nursing home where she had previously worked. Did Homeland have a display recognizing its veterans?
Budd said she wanted to honor the veterans from earlier eras, including Korea and Vietnam, who are too often forgotten.
“They’re still the reason we have the freedom we have today,” she said before the ceremony. “Instead of having one day where somebody remembers them, they should be remembered all the time. They deserve to have recognition every day.”
When Budd first raised the idea, she said, “Boy, did Homeland run with it in a way I didn’t expect.”
The idea took flight on the basis of Homeland’s longstanding commitment to honoring veterans. Beaver, also an Air Force veteran, and Chaplain Carver lead Homeland’s monthly Vet-to-Vet gathering in the Homeland Diner, where veterans, family members, and all interested guests gather to chat over coffee and treats.
A Veterans’ Wall Committee was formed, and by the end of the first meeting, they decided, “If you build it, they will come.”
Homeland’s veteran residents and their families filled the chapel for the dedication ceremony, which honored all veterans. It opened with a welcome from Carver and an opening prayer sung in the form of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.” Homeland Hospice volunteer and veteran Andy Lank led the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Currently, Homeland is home to 18 veterans – the highest number that staff can remember, said Beaver at the ceremony.
Beaver recognized that the veterans in the room gave the group the freedom to do what it was doing at that moment – assemble freely. In his closing prayer — also made possible by veterans, he noted — Beaver gave thanks for the many service members who gave their lives for their country.
“We thank you that we are a blessed country that we are celebrating 250 years as a free country, and the many times that you’ve shined upon this nation and all that you’ve given us as a blessing,” he said. “I just ask that you’re with every vet through the rest of their lives and help them to find peace in everything that they do.”
