Hospice of the Chesapeake celebrates its fourth annual Veterans Tribute Wall unveiling

One man served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Another survived the invasion of Inchon and a typhoon aboard the USS Breckenridge. Another was a decorated Korean War Veteran who would later become a local television broadcasting pioneer.

Each of these Veterans is now represented on the Veterans Tribute Wall which hangs in the Chesapeake Bay Room in the administrative building of Hospice of the Chesapeake’s John & Cathy Belcher Campus in Pasadena. The wall features photos of Veteran patients during their Honor Salutes, a ceremony recognizing and thanking them for their service to our country.

During the fourth annual Unveiling of the Veterans Tribute Wall on July 13, the pictures of 21 honorees were revealed. Guests enjoyed dinner followed by a moving ceremony that included Honor Salutes from active duty service members led by Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Jimmy Richard, who also reflected on the importance of the program to the patients, their families and the military personnel who perform them. There also were messages from retired Navy Chaplain Wayne Bumbry, President and CEO Ben Marcantonio and the evening’s master of ceremonies, retired Navy Capt. Bill Malicki. Voices of Vets, Inc., performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless the USA.”

Most moving of all, though, were the words of love and pride that came from the family members who attended the event, as they remembered their loved ones and shared poignant stories of how their parent, sibling or spouse had served. Over and over again the family members shared how important the Honor Salute was to their loved ones. For some, the act seemed as if it were a last rite. More than one family said their Veteran died shortly after the salute was performed.

Marcantonio said that his organization considers itself to be the caretaker of the Honor Salute program, as he feels it belongs to the community. “Over the last 12 months we have conducted more than 120 Honor Salutes, more than three times the number conducted in previous years. And while it is an incredible number, it is in some ways more impressive that those salutes are conducted by Fort Meade service personnel, U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen and other active duty volunteers from Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties,” Marcantonio said. “Truthfully this is a community program conducted by some of the most generous individuals we’ve known.”