Bristol Hospice remembers our veterans

WAXAHACHIE – Honoring our veterans is a service Bristol Hospice strongly believes in by offering a Veteran to Veteran volunteer program. Army veterans, Jerry Cossette, 25th Infantry Division, Don Merchant, 24th Infantry Division and Bill Dixon are several veterans who volunteer their time to visit other veterans needing the support received through hospice care.

Veterans share a bond – across all branches of service with other veterans service and experiences – which spans across many generations.

Many veterans saw horrific combat and witnessed events they would just as soon forget but can’t. 

Upon returning home to their family and friends, the times of combat and the loss of close friends are often not spoken of with just anyone.

So many have returned from combat physically injured, while others suffer from depression, anxiety or the lack of respect for their sacrifices to this country.

This often is where the need of hospice care enters, either in their home or in a nursing facility, and volunteers like Jerry and Don and Bill play a role in the veteran opening up and sharing their own experiences. 

Being able to share with a fellow veteran who understands what it was like and can communicate those feelings with no negative attitude or judgment means a great deal to every soldier.

When a veteran spends time with other veterans, it is easier for them to open up about their time in country and what they experienced. Theirs is a special camaraderie, language and culture with another veteran when they are together that others who never served just do not share.

Each veteran has unique needs, and this is where Bristol Hospice plays an important role by offering Veteran to Veteran care, by providing support to veterans throughout North Texas. 

The Waxahachie Bristol Hospice offices support to a 50-square mile area reaching out to veterans with chaplains, nurses care and social workers if a veteran wishes to seek or often needs their support.

The veteran volunteers go out and visit with other veterans and sit down with them spending time connecting, one on one. One veteran to another, someone who understands what it was like serving in the fields of combat and why it is difficult to open up to just anyone, what they experienced.

Veteran volunteers take time to assist hospice patients in receiving veteran benefits. They take time to honor our veterans for their military service spending time listening and talking about their military service and how it has affected them.

Many veterans need help in replacing lost and often never received awards and decorations, and thankfully the volunteer program assists veterans and family with the endeavor. 

Should any veteran feel strongly in reaching out and supporting and fellow veteran and be interested in helping other veterans they would be encouraged to visit Bristol Hospice and join their Veteran-to-Veteran program.

This week, it is important to remember Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, the day the United States was drawn into World War II.