Diane Sancilio, Director of Counseling and Support at Gilchrist Hospice Services

Diane Sancilio, Director of Counseling and Support at Gilchrist Hospice Services is our guest today on Veterans SITREP.  For many Vietnam veterans, the long-overdue recognition of their service has been a powerful and healing experience. Unlike veterans of other wars, many who returned home from Vietnam were met with silence—or worse, hostility—rather than gratitude.   To change that narrative, our guest along with an attorney and volunteer at another hospice, led to the passage of a Maryland state bill officially recognizing March 30th as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day but also established an annual community celebration that has grown larger every year.   We’re going to explore her journey how the idea began and how it led to honoring local Vietnam Veterans through a special day.