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Mr. Willie Brown, activities director at the Ambrosio Guillen
Texas State Veterans Home describes the Final Salute.
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EL PASO, Texas (3/12/12) - Out the front door, the same way they
came in, this was Ambrosio Guillen Texas State Veteran's Home
Activities Director Willie Brown's idea.
He wasn't happy
with the manner in which the remains of the deceased were
unceremoniously ushered out the side door of the facility. So he
proposed a new way to say goodbye to the veterans of Texas, the
Final Salute.
The idea was simple, when one of the residents
of the home made their last march into eternity, the staff and
remaining residents would line the halls, the family of the fallen
would escort the American flag draped remains of their loved one,
and the veteran would leave the same way they entered the home,
through the front door.
Walking the halls of the home, which
opened its doors to the veterans, family members, and Gold Star
parents of Texas in 2005, it is |
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immediately evident who lives there. Above the main foyer hangs a banner,
thanking those who served in the armed forces. In the main reception
area is a painting of the facility's namesake, Marine Staff Sgt. Ambrosio Guillen, awarded the Medal of Honor for giving his life in
defense of his platoon in the Korean War. There are lithographs and
plaques honoring the fallen of our nation's armed conflicts, and
there are the veterans themselves, 158 of them as of publication. |
The facility can house 160 residents, providing them with
round-the-clock care. Brown takes great pride in the home.
While showing the rifle range, where residents can practice
one of the skills they used to defend the nation, he
recounted the outpour of support from the local military
community when he put out the word that the range needed
repair. It was his pride and respect, being a former service
member himself, that led to his decision to propose the
Final Salute to his staff.
“The idea was immediately
made the standard here at the home. No one had a problem
with it.” said Brown.
One of the home's
nurses, Christina Box, grew up a “military brat” and
immediately liked the idea.
“I tear up every time,
whether I was close to the resident or not, it's just such a
powerful and moving way to show our respect to a Veteran,”
Box said.
Word of the Final Salute has spread
throughout the Texas State Veteran's Home system. Now the
residents of other homes statewide are rendered the courtesy
of a Final Salute as they leave their respective facility.
Brown's greatest hope is that the Final Salute will become
commonplace nationwide.
“There is no other way to
show respect to these great men and women, than to see them
off, with dignity, through the front door, the same way they
come in.”
By Army Sgt. Ricardo Gallardo
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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