Salisbury VA hosts memorial service honoring Veterans' lives, sacrifices
By Tyana Johnson, Public Affairs Specialist
There is no price to put on a life of service and sacrifice, particularly for one’s country.
That kind of bravery, selflessness, and sense of duty echoes and reverberates in the spirit of all the Veterans the team serves at the Salisbury VA Health Care System.
We are honored to not only take care of our Veterans but also acknowledge the service and sacrifices made by their caretakers and families.
Twice a year, Salisbury VA’s Chaplain Service hosts memorial services to honor our hospice and resident Veterans in the Salisbury VA Community Living Center (CLC) who have recently passed on. These services offer resident Veterans, VA employees, Veteran’s family members, caregivers, and survivors uninterrupted time to celebrate the lives of the recently departed.
“This is an opportunity for us to come together to support and honor the families and the Veterans. Also, to help families and staff to have closure,” said Chaplain Steven Knisley, who serves Salisbury VA’s hospice, palliative care, oncology, and CLC. “It is good to see the whole VA come together to honor Veterans.”
A Time of Reflection and Remembrance
Last month, one of the memorials was held at the W.G. (Bill) Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center. The summer heat did not hinder dozens of loved ones, employees, and friends from paying their respects.
During the service, as each Veteran's name was called, family and friends were given the opportunity to say a few words about their loved ones and place a stone into a bowl as a symbolic gesture of honor and remembrance.
Quietly seated on the front left side of the audience, widow Virginia Douglas silently grieved throughout the service. Her beloved husband, U.S. Army Veteran Ronald Douglas, who served in the Vietnam War, passed away last fall after nearly 40 years of marriage.
Mrs. Douglas patiently waited for her husband's name to be called and made her way to the front of the chapel to share a sweet memory of Ronald and place a stone in the bowl.
“What I remember most about him is his smile and humor,” reflected Mrs. Douglas. She recalls Ronald being a talented handyman and craftsman with a passion for classic cars.
An undeniable source of comfort for Mrs. Douglas has been a special sisterhood made up of several other widows and wives of CLC and hospice Veterans. This group offers the women a kinship where they share each other's burdens, struggles, heartaches, triumphs, and company.
Coming Together for a Cause
Numerous services and employees at Salisbury VA, along with community partners, came together to make the ceremony special, including the Knights of Columbus, whose members presented the colors, while Salisbury VA Chaplain Angela Peterkin sang the national anthem.
Matthew Seymour, a musical therapist at Salisbury VA, offered powerful hymnals to help bring comfort to all in attendance.
The homily was delivered by Father John Eckert of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Salisbury, North Carolina.
“Ultimately, love never fails,” said Father Eckert. “We thank God for the gifts, the example, and the goodness of our Veterans. Also, for those who work hard to serve them at the VA; their work is so valuable, and it speaks to the goodness of God.”
For more information on this story, email the Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs at salisburyvapublicaffairs@va.gov.
About the Salisbury VA Health Care System
At the Salisbury VA Health Care System, our mission is to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Learn more at www.va.gov/salisbury-health-care.