Local Veterans Lend Support for Flag Ceremony to Honor OhioHealth Marion General Hospital Patient
It was Father’s Day on Sunday June 16th when the team working at OhioHealth Marion General Hospital said they witnessed a moving show of support from two local veterans.
Marion General Hospital provides a unique flag ceremony for veterans when they pass away at the hospital. On June 16th, when Navy veteran Richard Austin passed away, it was time for that ceremony and show of support. It was also an unusually busy day at the hospital, according to Lori Kramer, a nurse administrator.
“I received a call that a veteran had passed, and it was very important that we do a flag ceremony,” said Kramer. “I immediately reached out to our chaplain, Heather Rodenborg, and we began to search for associate veterans.”
There are many veterans who work at Marion General Hospital – and often they will join in on the ceremony. However, as Kramer explained, it was busy. It was also Father’s Day – and many associates were enjoying time off with their families.
More than 20 family members of the patient were on hand, hoping the ceremony would happen. Many of those family members are veterans themselves like the patient’s daughter-in-law, Julie Austin, who retired from the Airforce.
That’s when Kramer said another family member called an old friend from college who she knew was a veteran and who also lived nearby.
Gary Cox Jr. answered the phone and didn’t hesitate to jump in and help. Cox had served in the Marines from 2002 to 2010.
“It’s just something that you go and do. You go and do it and you honor the veteran as best as you can,” Cox said. “It really wasn’t that big of a deal for me. I was just taking care of a friend.”
Gary Cox and another local veteran, Joe Harrison, arrived at the hospital and completed the flag ceremony – complete with a march and a salute. Dozens of Marion General Hospital associates were there as well, to witness the show of support.
Harrison served in the Army. That means, with Cox’s experience in the Marines, Julie Austin’s time in the Airforce, and Richard Austin’s background serving in the Navy – all four branches of the military were represented at the ceremony.
“Words cannot describe how much this service meant to this family, especially to his children on Father’s Day,” Kramer said. “I was so incredibly proud of our staff for not only acting, but for taking time out of a hectic day to be present for the ceremony.”
The veteran’s flag ceremony has been a tradition at Marion General Hospital since 2017.
