By Adrie Quinn
East Hampton High School
Photo by Adrie Quinn
Where are the heroes to go when the battles are over and the years grow long? For many veterans, that answer lies in the quiet dignity of a state-run veterans home. It offers not only shelter, but a sense of belonging, care, and gratitude from the country they served.
“We’re one of the 172 state veterans homes in the United States of America,” said Fred Sganga, the executive director of the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University, as he showed the space where veterans will enjoy a new recreational space including an entertainment area, a kitchen, and movie screen.
“This home was founded in 1991, so we’re about 34 years old. We’re a 350-bed nursing home facility, completely dedicated to our military veterans,” he said
The state veterans home provides a range of services for former members of our armed services. Currently serving 318 residents, it offers short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, Alzheimer’s and dementia treatment, and palliative and end-of-life care.
Residents told the Greene Gazette stories about their time in the military and their lives at the veterans home.
“I joined the Army to go to West Point, and I was subsequently picked to go to West Point,” said Mark Sheridan, a resident who served in the Vietnam War. “And I obviously spent time becoming a cadet and then four years at West Point. And then, approximately five years after I graduated, I was shot in the back and the spine and the stomach, and as a result, I’m a long-term care resident.”
He added: “I’m one of two airborne Rangers, and the other one is my classmate who graduated from West Point, a year ahead of me.”
Chuck Kurtzke, a former Marine who served in Vietnam and also received a Purple Heart for his service, said that the veterans home changed his life for the better.
“I was 124 pounds when I got here,” he said. “And I’d just be locked in my apartment, day after day. My daughter would say, ‘Are you OK?’ I would say I was fine, when I was not fine, but I’d just be stupid and stubborn, thickheaded . . . Then I came here and here is where I changed,” he said.
Kurtzke also takes pride in helping out with small tasks in the veterans home.
“It’s my job to water all of the flowers and the saplings on the patio,” he said. “I was never much of a gardener, but I enjoy doing this task very much.”
Kurtzke won’t be able to water his flowers much longer. Fortunately, it is for a good reason. The courtyard will be going through a major renovation to better utilize the space in the yard, and to make it more accessible for residents and their families.
“They can’t wait for it to happen,” he exclaimed. “We’re gonna have more space. More space for more activities. You’re gonna have movies, you’re going to have a place where they set up a grill, for hamburgers, hot dogs and stuff, and then they’re going to have another side with soda and stuff like that on one side.”
When asked what his favorite part of the renovation would be, Kurtzke said that he is most excited about the movies that will be shown in the courtyard.
He isn’t the only one excited about the revamp of the courtyard. Numerous members of the Veterans Home’s adult daycare program, one of only three of its kind in veterans homes, also said they looked forward to the project.
“It will be beautiful!” said Chris Klein, a member of the adult daycare program.
As the Long Island State Veterans Home prepares for its next chapter, it’s clear that this home is far more than a facility — it’s a community built on service, resilience, and care. It’s complete with fresh flowers, movie nights, and the laughter of families gathered in a revitalized courtyard,
For veterans like Sheridan and Kurtzke, it represents a second chance at connection, comfort, and dignity. And for all of us, it stands as a quiet reminder that while the battles may be over, our duty to those who fought them is never done.