Global News 검색결과

• Behind the Scenes of Honor: A Student Volunteer’s View from the Hospice Ward

    On the third floor of VAS Daegu Hospital, past the quiet halls where nurses move between rooms on an ordinary weekday morning, a different kind of ceremony takes place. It happens in the hospice ward, where Korean War veterans and their families receive medical care in recognition of their service and sacrifice.   For the past three years, one local high school student has spent time there almost every month, since the 9th grade, working alongside a team of trained volunteers who provide specialized care, including massage therapy for cancer patients.   “The majority of the work done in honoring the veterans occurs far away from any stage where a ceremony takes place,” the student said. “Few of them have become prominent names in history books, but every room in the hospice possesses the history of the Korean War and the Korean army.”   Unlike the professional volunteers who arrive with medical training, the student’s role is less visible but no less essential: preparing supplies and cleaning the materials that qualified volunteers need for patient care. “This minor task has allowed me to witness firsthand the delicate care our veterans need,” the student said.   That care extends beyond the ward itself. A small garden just outside the hospice offers some patients their only access to nature. When patients wish to go outside, the student accompanies them, pushing wheelchairs for those who need it, or simply walking alongside those who don’t, offering company as much as assistance.   Reflecting on three years of volunteering, the student described three lessons learned. The first was about the nature of service itself. “I believed that service means performing the most significant task in a given place,” the student said. “Upon volunteering in the hospice ward, I understood that the most important functions are usually performed by nurses, social workers, and trained volunteers. My service is meant to help them in their duties.” The second lesson concerned gratitude. Saying “thank you” to a veteran takes less than a minute, the student noted, but pushing someone in a wheelchair through the garden allows for a comfortable conversation. Gratitude, in other words, is measured in time given, not words spoken. The third lesson was the need for repeated remembrance. With the number of Korean War veterans declining each year, and hospices among the places where many spend their final days, the window for that remembrance is closing.   The student is urging peers to consider volunteering at hospitals like VAS Daegu, emphasizing that no special training is required to begin. “In order to become a volunteer, one does not need to have any special skills,” the student said. “The only thing required is to go whenever help is needed.” The student plans to continue volunteering at VAS Daegu Hospital and hopes classmates will consider doing the same. “Freedom was not cheap, and veterans still live among us,” the student said. “Let us interact with them while there is time.”      

  • Global News
  • 영어뉴스

  2026-08-10