Lutheran Crossings Honors Local Veterans during Community Day of Remembrance

On September 11, 2019, Lutheran Crossings at Moorestown honored residents and community members who have served in the armed forces. The full program featured local veteran speakers, an educational presentation on senior care benefits for veterans and their spouses, and a recognition ceremony honoring veterans who live at Lutheran Crossings. There was also a moment of silence to remember those who lost their life in the September 11 terrorist attack.

Attendees learned about veteran health benefits that are available to veterans, their spouses and their widows. Presenters discussed elder care law and home health services. Journey Hospice, also a program of Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ, presented more than 30 veterans with a certificate of recognition for their military service.

“It was a true honor to be included in this special day and get the opportunity to present veterans of Lutheran Crossings with a certificate of appreciation and thank them for their service.” expressed Dolores Triboletti, Marketing Liason at Journey Hospice.

The ceremony featured keynote speaker, Colonel Bonnie J. Bosler, Commander of the 514th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (AES), 514th Operations Group, 514th Air Mobility Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. Colonel Bosler thanked her fellow military comrades for their service and then shared Bossler shared with the room her life’s journey, from studying to be a nurse and serving in a hospital Intensive Care Unit, to then joining the Air Force Reserves as a Flight Nurse. She noted how her life was pretty ‘quiet’ until 9/11 happened. “The world changed. The country changed. The military mission changed and there were a lot of unknowns.”

She would go on and serve 22 years (and counting) and continues to train future airmen to prepare for ‘unknown challenges.’ Col. Bossler also addressed the room and encouraged them to “reach out to your friends and relatives that have served to ask for their stories. Take away the distractions like the cell phones, the iPads, Facebook or Instagram, and go ‘old school’.” She paused slightly, then continued, “Take a moment to sit down, ask a question, and then just listen.”

For more information about the event, or Lutheran Crossings at Moorestown, contact Linda Menighan, Director, Sales & Marketing at 856-813-5018 or at lmenighan@lsmnj.org.

Pictured from left to right: Linda Menighan (Director, Marketing & Communications at Lutheran Crossings), Madeline Martinez (Social Worker, Journey Hospice), Army soldier, Denise Clark (Clinical Liason, Journey Hospice), Victoria Keiper (Social Worker, Journey Hospice), Denise Knights (Nurse for Journey Hospice), Shira Yerike, (Representative of Veteran Care Services), Army soldier, Peter Caldiero, DPT and Jolyn Coskery, RN of Bayada Home Healthcare Services, and Colonel Bonnie J. Bosler.