I have mentioned my brother-in-law Greg on here many times. He has lung cancer and is currently in Hospice care. This particular Hospice that my sister Cindy chose has a very cool little ceremony they do with veterans. Their feeling is the soldiers should be honored in their life, not just at their funeral. Greg was stationed in a nuclear sub off the coast of Viet Nam. So they made arrangements to come to the house and do their ceremony for him. There were thirteen of us there to watch crammed into this space by their basement door. It was cozy to say the least!
The ceremony was actually quite long and well done. There were representatives there from the Army, Navy, Marines, and I don’t remember what the other fella was. They were so respectful. They read some things to Greg, gave him a nicely-framed certificate of some sort. (I didn’t get a chance to look at it.) They gave him a whole BAG full of keepsakes. But more importantly, they took the time to listen to him tell about his experiences. His speech is very halting but they were so patient. We were amazed at how clear his long-term memory still is. And his sense of humor was VERY evident. 😀
The last thing they gave him was an American flag, which they folded as they told what each fold meant. I was surprised. I had NO idea the folds meant anything. I was glad my grandkids were there to see the service. I hope they will remember it and respect service men and women when they see them.
What really got me was when they handed the flag to Greg, even though he can barely lift his arms, he did his best to salute it. You couldn’t help but cry.
It was a beautiful thing and I am so glad Greg got to experience that honor. Lord knows a lot of our Viet Nam vets were far from honored when they came home…
Flag Folding Ceremony
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Greg saluting the flag.
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Playing taps.
(that freaked me out just a little…)
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It was a beautiful, respectful thing to do.
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Thought you might be interested in the meanings of the folds and also the etiquette of the flag.
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Impromptu Promptlings 
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What a wonderful thing to do for your brother-in-law. I always tear up when they do the ceremony at funerals. What a beautiful gift that Greg was able to share it.
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I sure hope it catches on nationwide. There’s a real problem these days finding veterans to do the service. That’s part of the problem, I understand. They’re all getting old and the more recently retired folks are not stepping up to perform the memorial services for funerals and such. Of the four of these men, two (the ones in uniform) were actually recruiters. So I think Greg really was lucky to get to go through it. My s-i-l recorded it on his phone. They’re flying home to Maryland today. I hope he’s able to download it when he gets there. Gonna do a YouTube thingy of it.
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Great idea. That sort of exposure might encourage other hospice centers and veterans to participate. The last time I saw a ceremony it was in Nashville for a funeral of one of my uncles. The men and one woman that did the ceremony were young and I think from the base nearby. They were doing it on duty, I thought.
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What a touching tribute. It was interesting reading the flag folding meanings.
Here the proverbial has hit the fan as Vietnam pulled the plug on a long planned pilgrimage to Long Tan on the anniversary of the battle where a lot of Australian soldiers lost their lives. It seems to me that Vietnam vets for some reason have unfairly copped the brunt of a lot of ire that does not sit with them.
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Yes they have. It’s almost like people feel the soldiers just wanted to go over there willy-nilly and start a fight. And that is so to our shame. I don’t know how those vets have been treated elsewhere, but here it’s like they’re the embarrassing relative no one wants to acknowledge. It makes me angry that it was MY generation that stirred the pot against them so much. All that “make love not war” crap. Human beings excel at both and seem to need war to breathe as much as air. I just shake my head… So they wouldn’t let you guys have your ceremony there?
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No, the whole thing had been negotiated well ahead of time and at the last minute Vietnam withdrew permission. The vets were already there. As you can imagine, it caused a lot of heartache. They just wanted to honour and pay respect to fallen comrades.
I think the VV’s got a rough deal in every country.
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Did they give any reason for not letting them go through with it?
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Looks like there were some Patriot Riders motorcyclists present too. 🙂
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😀 I don’t know if they ride bikes or not. They were from the VFW and couldn’t fit into their uniforms anymore!
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LOL
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What a wonderful ceremony..and a wonderful thing to do while Greg could participate ❤️🇺🇸
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Not every Hospice does it. This particular one heard about one Hospice back east that was doing it and decided they wanted to give it a shot. They’ve only been doing it for four months. (On a side note, that white uniform! OML!!! 😀 )
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Well, hopefully more will follow…..it seems to me our service men and women deserve to be recognize before they leave us 🇺🇸
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That was so beautiful Cheryl, I can imagine tears were to the order. I knew there were reasons for the Folding of the Flag but had no idea what they were, thank you for saying. Especially lovely was the Completion of the Flag and the Cocked Hat, how significant. I wish there was as much respect shown here for the Veterans. Right you are about Vietnam, they were forgotten their treatment was appalling, not forgetting Korea which everyone does. What a great tribute and some nice memories for your Sister. Is Greg in the Hospice all the time now. It’s been a difficult time for you all.
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Yeah, Anna. She finally had to bring them in. She has two lifts installed now to get him from the bed to the wheelchair and the to the recliner. But even that is wearing on her. She said the other day she thinks she’s bitten off more than she can chew. But if the doctors are right (less than six months) she wants to try to keep him at home. It’s been very hard for everyone. Drollery has really been affected by it…
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What a wonderful tribute – amidst all the trauma, the hospice gives you things to be grateful for…
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It is extremely difficult Cheryl, when David was in Hospital I knew he did not want to be there, I did not want him there, Drs said he had to stay but I insisted he came home and he did. It was very hard coping but somehow you get the strength, your body keeps going all the time exhaustion. Your Sister will keep going, God forbid when the day comes finally, then your Sister is going to need you, that is when the exhaustion will finally hit her and she will need your help, I had absolutely no one, the Children too young, but I coped with Gods help, as will your Sister with your help its been so tough for you all. Don’t forget Arn will lean on you too, and you will need him. I am thinking of you all, God Bless.
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