Laura D.C. Kolnoski
By Laura D. C. Kolnoski
TINTON FALLS – Later this month, 54 military veterans will begin moving into new homes, where the most vital amenities are myriad support systems. About 100 more are on the waiting list.
The Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community from the nationally recognized Soldier On organization of Massachusetts, located at 275 Essex Road, officially opened with a ceremony Nov. 18, followed by a ribbon-cutting the next day. The new four-story, 70-unit, furnished apartment complex on 12 acres is among the first in the country to offer rental housing to former service members at a range of incomes, along with comprehensive services and a path to eventual homeownership.
The twilight ceremony marked the culmination of over a decade of combined efforts by governmental, nonprofit and private entities, emanating from the redevelopment of former U.S. Army base Fort Monmouth.
The project took a circuitous route from conception to fruition, beginning with Donald Burry, husband of Monmouth County Commissioner Lillian G. Burry, the county’s representative on the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA). That agency has been guiding redevelopment of the 1,126-acre fort since the Army closed it in 2011. Don, a retired Coast Guard captain, showed his wife an article about Soldier On, suggesting it could be part of the revitalized 100-year-old fort.
“This is all about the veterans. We can’t let veterans go one night without a place to live,” said Bruce Buckley, Soldier On CEO, “It’s a battle but we are working to win the battle.” Referring to the evening’s three honorees – Commissioner Burry, former Tinton Falls Council president Gary Baldwin and former Tinton Falls Police Chief and mayor Gerald Turning, Buckley said, “This is the group that made this happen, but only one person was here from Day One, always on the phone, the driving force and the energy – Lillian Burry.”
As plans for the Soldier On facility progressed, finding the right location among the three towns the fort encompasses – Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls – proved difficult. Enter Baldwin, who frequently represented Tinton Falls at FMERA meetings and resides in nearby Seabrook Village. As Turning said, “Gary and Seabrook residents wanted Tinton Falls to take their extra acreage. We said we’d like to sell it (as the site for Soldier On) for $1. It was the right thing to do.” Turning’s father was in the Army and served on Fort Monmouth. His brother is also in the military. Baldwin is now a Soldier On board member.
“As a veteran, I know how important this is,” said Baldwin, an Air Force veteran. “We can never stop serving our brothers and sisters who are still out there. We are part of one another.”
“When I got to the state senate, I got a call from Lillian within 10 minutes,” said Vin Gopal (D-11). “She kept calling weekly and asking how we were doing with the funding.” Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone announced the project has been named the county planning board’s “Project of the Year” and presented the trio with the first of several proclamations and resolutions honoring their commitment to completing it. A bronze statue of a veteran modeled on a Soldier On resident, bearing their three names will be permanently displayed in the facility’s lobby.
Arnone said the trio’s work on FMERA and the “way they have redeveloped Fort Monmouth” led to the realization of the veterans’ community, even though it didn’t end up on the former fort property. “All three deserve a ton of credit,” Arnone told the audience. “When Lillian is committed to something, she’s headstrong and completes it.”
Developed by Winn Companies, the $23 million complex, like all Soldier On communities, is named in honor of the paralyzed Vietnam veteran who became deputy secretary of the Veterans Administration and helped open the first Soldier On community with founder and former CEO Jack Downing.
A separate wing with a dedicated entry, laundry, balcony and gathering space for female veterans offers privacy and security. There are two greenhouses on site, along with a patio with grills, a walking trail and a columbarium and eternal flame for the ashes of veteran residents who wish to be interred there. Among the agencies offering continuing support are the Fulfill food bank, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the local Veterans Affairs. Credit counseling, peer support, transportation, no-cost legal services and dinner meals will be provided. The complex is within walking distance of the Jersey Shore outlets, restaurants and other retail.
Applications for the one-bedroom studio-style units are being accepted by contacting info@wesoldieron.org or by calling 888-413-9627. A leasing office accepting appointments is located at 4070 Asbury Ave.
“Today we take one small but tangible step in doing our duty by providing an opportunity for those who have bravely served and sacrificed for us all to have a chance for a better life,” Burry said. “I hope things like this will soon cease to be special occasions. In pursuit of that day, I can only say two words – Soldier On.”
The article originally appeared in the November 25 – December 1, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
