Vets, Servicepeople, fallen heroes honored at Kaiser Permanente hospitals

For Physician Assistant Diana Bruce, the round, gold-colored medallion she got at a small pre- Memorial Day ceremony at Kaiser Permanente’s Redwood City Medical Center was touching. Inscribed with the words “In Appreciation of Your Sacrifice for Our Country,” the medallion was handed to Bruce and eight other military service veterans as a crowd of medical center workers applauded each one.
“I thought this was so neat,” said Bruce, a recently retired 29-year U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and left the service as the Army equivalent of a flight surgeon. “This really continues to show that Kaiser Permanente honors its veterans.”
In recognition of Memorial Day, Kaiser Permanente is holding ceremonies at its medical centers in Northern California to honor the memories of all who have died during military service, and to recognize veterans of past wars and active-duty military personnel.
“We’re here to honor those veterans who work at Kaiser Permanente, and those who lost their lives protecting our freedoms,” said Jim O’Donnell, MD, the Redwood City physician in chief, as he began the ceremony.
A color guard from the Redwood City Police Department solemnly posted the American and California flags at a table where the medallions were displayed in front of signs for the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Marines.
The medallions were handed out by Redwood City Mayor Jeff Gee as Dr. O’Donnell read the names of the recipients and their service.
There was a boisterous round of applause, and a bit of humor, when a medallion was presented to Lily Brockmeier, Dr. O’Donnell’s executive staff assistant. Brockmeier is a retired sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Dr. O’Donnell jokingly said that she keeps him in line and on schedule. Brockmeier agreed.
“On Veterans Day, I got a little ‘American Veteran’ pin in the mail from Kaiser Permanente,” said Bruce, who works in the Neurosurgery Department at Kaiser Permanente Redwood City. “It feels so good that Kaiser Permanente acknowledges us.”
Indeed, all of the veterans at the ceremony wore huge smiles before, during and after the medallion presentations. Many were leaders in the service and are now leaders in their medical departments.
“They call me Captain in the Neurosurgery Department,” said Bruce, who retired from the service with the rank.