More Than a Pin: Honoring Veterans in Hospice

When a hospice patient is identified as a veteran, MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital’s Home Health and Hospice team sees it as an opportunity to honor a life of service.

That’s exactly what they did for 103-year-old Winnifred, a World War II Army nurse who ran two military hospital wards during the war. Her pinning ceremony, an intimate moment with family and her hospice care team, was both powerful and deeply moving.

Patients receive a lapel pin representing their branch of service while loved ones share stories and memories. The ceremony is usually led by the hospice chaplain and often includes a family member placing the pin.

“We have amazing members of our community who’ve made incredible contributions through their military service,” says Chaplain Bill Williamson. “These ceremonies offer a moment to reflect and honor that legacy.”

The experience has been especially meaningful for Winnifred. A proud graduate of Davis High School and St. Elizabeth’s school of nursing, she joined the Army after meeting a recruiter in her hospital hallway. During the war, she met her husband of nearly 73 years who was a patient recovering from shrapnel wounds on her ward.

“I notice my mother will often rub the pin throughout the day,” Laura shares. “She hasn’t gone a day without it since the pinning. It seems like a small thing, but it means so much.”

Thanks to your support, hospice care in our community continues to provide compassion, dignity, and connection — not just for patients, but for their families, too.