(ROCKWALL, TX – May 27, 2015) This Memorial Day, Rock Ridge Assisted Living and Memory Care chose to honor their veteran residents with the unveiling of a Veteran’s Wall.
Life Enrichment and Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Crider collected old photos of the residents in uniform and assembled them on the wall. She and the rest of the Rock Ridge staff presented the wall to the residents in a ceremony on Monday, May 25.
“Because it is Memorial Day, we want to remember all that they did, all that they saw, and all that they lost,” Crider told the crowd as she uncovered the wall.
Each veteran in attendance was presented with a ribbon pin in honor of their service.
Rock Ridge resident Frank Poole said to him, it was an honor to see a picture of himself in uniform hanging on the wall.
“I had lots of friends that didn’t come back, that’s the hard thing,” Poole said.
Poole enlisted in the Navy in 1941 and served during World War II. He fought in the Battle of Okinawa and witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His ship the USS Colbert survived one of fiercest typhoons in history.
Poole’s daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter attended the ceremony in honor of Poole and his fellow veterans. Poole’s granddaughter Stephanie Shell said she enjoyed commemorating their service.
“I think it’s really cool to see how many people served, and to see old pictures of him in his uniform,” Shell said.
Crider said that the pictures were often difficult to track down, but they are important because serve multiple purposes: seeing the original photos of themselves in uniform is beneficial to the residents who struggle with memory problems. Former Congressman Ralph Hall also donated an American flag to hang alongside the photos that flew at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
Crider said the idea behind the wall was to let the veteran residents know how much their service was appreciated, and allow them to reminisce with their companions.
“We wanted to do something that would be permanent, that will be up for the rest of their lives,” Crider said.
Story and photos by Julie Anne White, Blue Ribbon News reporter.
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