Serving Those Who Served
How specialized veterans services help veterans feel
seen, heard and honored at end of life.
NorthStar Care Community Presents: Life’s Big Moments Feature Story— July 2026
In a conversation with Jordan Carson, Kathy Lietaert, Director of the NorthStar Care Community Volunteer Program, shares how veteran volunteers, support veteran patients and families at end of life, with a very special veteran story featuring Wally and Anna.
For many veterans, military service is not simply part of their past, it is a part of who they are. Their stories, sacrifices, friendships and memories are carried for a lifetime, and at end of life, those memories often rise to the surface in deeply meaningful ways.
Through the Specialized Veteran Services, NorthStar Care Community helps ensure veterans receiving hospice care feel seen, heard and honored. Staff and volunteers are trained to understand the unique needs of veterans and their families, and veteran volunteers are recruited to sit with fellow veterans in a way that creates trust, connection and camaraderie.
Sometimes those visits lead to shared stories. Sometimes they bring laughter, tears or memories a family has never heard before. And sometimes, the most powerful moment comes through a simple gesture: one veteran saluting another.
As part of the program, veterans may choose to take part in a pinning ceremony, as Kathy, Lietaert, Director of Volunteers statewide shares, “Their service matters, and they need to be told this and thanked for that service.” The ceremony can be quiet and intimate, or surrounded by family, friends, staff and fellow veterans. A pin is placed on the veteran’s chest, words of gratitude are shared, stories may be told, and the veteran is thanked for their service.
For Wally and Anna, hospice care arrived at the moment they needed it most. Wally had served in the Army Air Corps, and he and Anna shared 75 years of love. As his life was honored, so was his service. The visits from veterans, the recognition and the compassionate care gave his family comfort, peace and a sense that he was remembered. As Anna recalls, “The times that the veterans came to the house, they were precious times to him. They remembered him.”
At life’s end, compassionate care means more than meeting medical needs. It means honoring the whole person: their service, their identity, their memories and their humanity.
While we can never fully repay the debt owed to those who served, we can make sure they know this: their service matters, their stories matter and they are not forgotten.
Learn how you can support NorthStar Care Community’s Specialized Veteran Services:
Arbor Hospice Veteran Services
Centrica Care Navigators Veteran Services
Hospice of Michigan Veteran Services
Life’s Big Moments is a storytelling initiative by NorthStar Care Community that honors the people, relationships, and moments that shape our lives. Our mission is to normalize conversations and planning around end-of-life care—so meaningful, timely discussions can happen when they matter most.
NorthStar Care Community is a nationwide organization providing programs and services focused on quality end-of-life care.
Our commitment—Every Person. Every Time.—means doing what’s right for patients, families, community partners, referral sources, donors, employees, and volunteers alike. We offer palliative care, hospice care, caregiver education, and grief support, ensuring accessible care for everyone, no matter their age, diagnosis, or financial situation. We allow time for sharing both the big and the quiet moments that shape the lives of our patients, families, and caregivers.
If this story speaks to you, we invite you to share Life’s Big Moments with friends, family, or colleagues.Together, we can help create a more open and compassionate conversations about quality end-of-life care for all.
Read More Life's Big Moments
Counting What Counts
Heather shares a deeply personal story of love, gratitude, and the lessons her two remarkable sons continue to teach her. Through reflection and remembrance, she reveals how finding beauty in everyday moments has helped make each day a celebration of life.
The Roots of “Two Oak Trees”
Long before hospice and home care were widely understood, Lois Jelneck and Ingrid Deininger were quietly shaping what it meant to care for people at home in Ann Arbor, advocating for comfort, dignity, and being surrounded by those you love.
Bedside Vigil: A Special Volunteer Reflection
Listen as Hospice of Michigan volunteer Wanda shares what it means to be present during a bedside vigil, in conversation with Volunteer Coordinator Margo. She is one of more than 700 volunteers across the NorthStar Care Community whose compassion we are so grateful for each day.
Stories
Veteran Stories
Personal Life's Big Moments
Caregiver/ Family Stories
Patient Stories
Beads of Courage Stories
Pediatric Stories
Media/ Partner Kit available soon!