The Celebration of our Collaboration
August 15, 2017 marks the 20th anniversary celebration of The Twilight Brigade at its offices located on the campus of the Greater Los Angeles Veteran’s Hospital. The Twilight Brigade, guided by co-founder, Dannion Brinkley, is an organization that has recruited and trained over 6,000 volunteers nationwide to be at the bedside of hospitalized, palliative and end-of-life care veterans. Therefore, this landmark anniversary, most importantly, stands as a celebration of a grand collaboration between the dedicated volunteers of The Twilight Brigade, and the honored veterans of our mighty nation, as they were cared for by the Veteran’s Administration.
The Twilight Brigade volunteers are of all ages, and come from various walks of life, while occupying many levels of the financial strata. They do not undertake this volunteer position for reward or recognition. As a caring presence at the bedside, these volunteers have been trained to help facilitate the three basics needs we all share at the end of life: warmth, safety, and closure at the bedside. The Twilight Brigade’s chapter, in Los Angeles, has done an exemplary job of this, over the past 20 years.
When asked what inspired him to co-found The Twilight Brigade, Brinkley replied, “As a former Marine, and the son of a disabled WWII veteran, I have a unique perspective on the needs of a man or woman who has served their country. You see, I was struck by lightning, in 1975, and as a result of that I literally lived through many of the emotional and physical experiences our veterans go through, either during recovery or while in the process of facing the inevitable.
From knowing all of this, I took on the mission with the priceless help of my volunteers, to be there for our veterans, and their families, as together we fight the final battle.
