Through We Honor Veterans’ (WHV) Veteran-to-Veteran Volunteer program requirement, Veterans provide one another with unparalleled comradery at the end of life. The sense of belonging and mutual respect that develops between Veterans can be especially palpable when these service members share a common identity. AJ Feucht a Veteran-to-Veteran volunteer with Agrace, a Wisconsin-based hospice provider, exceeded in his commitment to providing Veterans with comfort at end of life by initiating a meeting between two accomplished female Veterans.
Colonel (retired), Wisconsin Army National Guard, AJ Feucht, an Agrace Veteran-to-Veteran hospice volunteer visited with Clara Mohr, a 99-year-old World War II Veteran during her election of hospice. Through their conversations, AJ learned that Clara served in the Army Nurse Corps. After serving as a nurse during the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Clara received a telegram requesting she report to a hospital ship that would go on to travel from the East Coast through the Panama Canal and on to Hawaii. AJ described Clara as being good at her job and reports that she was responsible for providing care and comfort to a ward of over 150 soldiers injured during the war. When AJ asked her how she overcame issues of serving in a male-dominated field, Clara humbly replied that she “just did [her] job.”
Clara was present at a celebration in May 2022 when an all-female Honor Flight returned to Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, WI. Brigadier General, Army National Guard, (retired) Joni Mathews was also present at the Honor Flight’s return. In reflecting on her attendance at this celebration, Clara later described to AJ that she admired Brig. Gen. Matthews and although she wished to meet with her, she did not get to do so at the airport that day.
In a stroke of luck, AJ knew Brig. Gen. Matthews. Recognizing the opportunity before him, he coordinated with the Agrace hospice care team to arrange a visit between Clara and Brig. Gen. Matthews.
AJ describes that Brig. Gen. Matthews is “very busy running the Challenge Academy at Fort McCoy, but she made time to see Clara out of mutual admiration and respect for their many years of service and pioneering achievements.”
The meeting between Clara and Bri. Gen. Matthews was impactful for all involved. “It was wonderful to see two female pioneers listening to and learning from one another. They both had so many ‘firsts’: Brig. Gen. Mathews was the first indigenous woman to be a General Officer and is held in high esteem by her Ojibwe tribe,” AJ shared.
The comradery and connection AJ provided Clara during her final days highlights the impact Veteran-to-Veteran Volunteers have on Veterans and their families at end of life. Learn more about volunteering opportunities and locate a WHV-affiliated hospice near you on the We Honor Veterans site or Agrace volunteering! For more information, check out our Women Veterans and End-of-Life webpage!
