BrightStar Home Care has the privilege of taking care of a number of our community members, with some of those individuals sharing a common background. That common ground is the service they provided for this country in any one of the many branches of the armed forces. One of our Skilled Registered Nurses has the privilege of working hand in hand with Veterans on a day to day basis.
Christine, our RN, is an expert at working with Veterans. She says that one important piece for her patients is the need to have them feel appreciated for their service because so many of them will not speak with their families of what they did or experienced while serving our country. She has taken the opportunity to make sure they all are aware of the Honor Flight.
Honor Flight programs begun as a way of connecting Veterans who served anywhere from World War II, to the Korean War, and through Vietnam. Christine makes sure that she always has copies of the paperwork in her car to give to her patients and will assist with completing the process of filling out forms to make it easier for Veterans to take advantage of this much needed program.
For Christine, providing recognition to Veterans resonates with her on an even more personal level than a provider and patient relationship. Christine’s father served in the 42nd Airborne as a proud solider in the United States Army. She was able to, after several months, persuade her father to partake in an Honor Flight program. His words of indifference were all humbling reminders of what so many of those who have served may echo. He stated, “I don’t feel like I’m important enough to get this honor.” or “There are other people who have done more than me to deserve this.”
Participating in an Honor Flight helped Christine find out some things about her father that she would’ve otherwise never known. He had received a pin that represented a pair of wings on his hat that she found when he was speaking with one of his fellow Veterans was because he had done more than 100 jumps as a paratrooper during his service. She said that the flight was the best day of her life outside of having her children. She arrived at the airport and all of the Veterans were given a complimentary shirts and hats to commemorate the trip. They would be awarded an additional jacket after the flight bearing the phrase, “Every Day is a New Day.” Once on board, she sat with the other loved ones of those flying as this is an opportunity for the Veterans to sit together as a group and share stories of what they had seen in life and service. Once the wheels left the ground and were safely flying at cruising altitude, mail call was announced. Mail call is when Girl Scout troops, thankful citizens, and family members write letters for their loved ones to open while in flight. She said this is the first time she has ever seen her father cry when he opened these letters.
The flight landed and as the doors opened when they were on the ground a surprise met the attendees once again. There was a large crowd of individuals and volunteers there to thank them for their service and give them additional cards, cookies, and well wishes. She remembers her father looking longingly into the crowd as the made their way to the car, which at this time with the help of volunteers was a short wheelchair ride away. Once he arrived at the car, he saw his wife, which drove him to tears. He remembered that after he had finished his service and returned home, she was unable to meet him at the airport to greet him. After all these years, they had finally been able to complete that final memory.
This story continues to speak to all of us at BrightStar Home Care, and its the reason Christine brings Honor Flight applications along on all her home visits. This story helps our staff remember that our Vets may not all see the impact of their service. Programs like the Honor Flight help us to recognize those to whom we will forever be grateful. In honor of Veterans day, please hug a Veteran with us and thank them for their service.
Christine, our RN, is an expert at working with Veterans. She says that one important piece for her patients is the need to have them feel appreciated for their service because so many of them will not speak with their families of what they did or experienced while serving our country. She has taken the opportunity to make sure they all are aware of the Honor Flight.
Honor Flight programs begun as a way of connecting Veterans who served anywhere from World War II, to the Korean War, and through Vietnam. Christine makes sure that she always has copies of the paperwork in her car to give to her patients and will assist with completing the process of filling out forms to make it easier for Veterans to take advantage of this much needed program.
For Christine, providing recognition to Veterans resonates with her on an even more personal level than a provider and patient relationship. Christine’s father served in the 42nd Airborne as a proud solider in the United States Army. She was able to, after several months, persuade her father to partake in an Honor Flight program. His words of indifference were all humbling reminders of what so many of those who have served may echo. He stated, “I don’t feel like I’m important enough to get this honor.” or “There are other people who have done more than me to deserve this.”
Participating in an Honor Flight helped Christine find out some things about her father that she would’ve otherwise never known. He had received a pin that represented a pair of wings on his hat that she found when he was speaking with one of his fellow Veterans was because he had done more than 100 jumps as a paratrooper during his service. She said that the flight was the best day of her life outside of having her children. She arrived at the airport and all of the Veterans were given a complimentary shirts and hats to commemorate the trip. They would be awarded an additional jacket after the flight bearing the phrase, “Every Day is a New Day.” Once on board, she sat with the other loved ones of those flying as this is an opportunity for the Veterans to sit together as a group and share stories of what they had seen in life and service. Once the wheels left the ground and were safely flying at cruising altitude, mail call was announced. Mail call is when Girl Scout troops, thankful citizens, and family members write letters for their loved ones to open while in flight. She said this is the first time she has ever seen her father cry when he opened these letters.
The flight landed and as the doors opened when they were on the ground a surprise met the attendees once again. There was a large crowd of individuals and volunteers there to thank them for their service and give them additional cards, cookies, and well wishes. She remembers her father looking longingly into the crowd as the made their way to the car, which at this time with the help of volunteers was a short wheelchair ride away. Once he arrived at the car, he saw his wife, which drove him to tears. He remembered that after he had finished his service and returned home, she was unable to meet him at the airport to greet him. After all these years, they had finally been able to complete that final memory.
This story continues to speak to all of us at BrightStar Home Care, and its the reason Christine brings Honor Flight applications along on all her home visits. This story helps our staff remember that our Vets may not all see the impact of their service. Programs like the Honor Flight help us to recognize those to whom we will forever be grateful. In honor of Veterans day, please hug a Veteran with us and thank them for their service.