BERKELEY – Usually, gatherings for veterans are somber occasions. Memorial Day. Veterans Day. September 11. The groundbreaking of a veterans village in Bayville was a celebration.
Hundreds of people came from miles around, with police directing traffic on busy Route 9. The future home of 124 units for veterans will have the official address of 359 Atlantic City Boulevard.
Visitors were greeted with loud country music as Faith Community Church across the street played patriotic songs on bells. Veteran organizations and politicians made the rounds before the presentation made by Tunnel To Towers who also gave a tour of some of the homes.
The property will have 99 apartments and 25 small houses. The houses have stairs and ramps leading to a front door which opens to a living room. A kitchen joins this, while a large bathroom juts off from the kitchen. At the opposite end of the living room is a bedroom. The doors are wide and the fixtures have space around them to cater to people with wheelchairs and other mobility issues.
The house has accessibility built in. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
In addition to the apartments, there will be a common area for the veterans to get care they need, such as behavioral health, legal services, and peer support. Anything not directly provided by Tunnel To Towers will be available through partnerships with local caregivers.
Central Regional JROTC presented the colors and Ocean County Shamrock & Thistle played, kicking off the ceremony.
Deacon Robert Gay of St. Barnabas gave an invocation, hoping that this place will be “a sanctuary of peace where healing and hope abound.”
Tunnel To Towers officials said that this is the largest groundbreaking they’ve ever had, and the first (“of many”) in New Jersey. They listed places where they have finished or are in the process of building housing. They were all big cities. The only standouts were Berkeley and Jackson.
A representative of Tunnel To Towers told this newspaper that the negotiation in Jackson is still early and there are no specifics to report.
Veterans and first responders were asked to stand and be recognized, receiving applause. Elected officials and their staff were thanked for their advocacy.
Visitors were able to tour a model house that they will build. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
Mayor John Bacchione said everyone in Berkeley felt honored that Tunnel To Towers chose to be here. “This isn’t about me or any elected officials,” he said, it’s about the veterans.
Developer Vito Cardinale of Cardinale Enterprises owned the property and reached out to Bacchione about having the land used in this way. Bacchione said the only requirement he wanted was that the land be deed restricted so that only U.S. military veterans could live here.
“That was not a hard sell,” he said. The discussion went well and now a few years later, ground is cleared for an ambitious project that will help veterans for decades to come.
Senator Carmen Amato said he was proud that the first veterans village in the state is in his home town.
“This is more than a housing project. It’s a community of support and hope,” he said. “This village is for you and today we take a huge step toward giving back what for what you so selflessly gave to us.”
New Jersey State Police Col. Patrick Callahan said that when tragedy befalls any trooper, Tunnel To Towers is one of the first who call and let them know that they will take on the mortgage of the family left behind.
He shared that his first memory was as an 18-month-old watching his uncle return from Vietnam and the soldier embracing his mother. That struck a chord with how veterans leave their families behind to face danger and the unknown for the love of the country and those on the home front.
Visitors tour the living room of the model home. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
Somber Remembrances
There was much to celebrate this day, as officials symbolically turned over dirt with shovels to break ground as a New Jersey State Police helicopter flew overhead. But there were moments of reflection, as well.
There was a moment of silence for those lost. “Amazing Grace” was played by the bagpipe band. And touching stories were shared.
Frank Siller, CEO of Tunnel To Towers, told the crowd about his brother Stephen, who was the baby of a big family. Everyone looked out for him, especially when the patriarch of the family died when Stephen was 8 and the matriarch when he was 10. The oldest siblings were in their 20s, so they raised him.
Siller recalls taking 11-year-old Stephen to play basketball one day. Stephen broke down out of nowhere and finally said “Why did mommy and daddy have to die?”
Siller tried to make some sense of it, too. All he could instill in the child is confidence that there’s a plan at work, even if we can’t see it. He told his baby brother “I don’t know why God put you on this Earth but I know you’ll do something special.”
Fast forward, as years go by quickly, and Stephen is a father of a big family himself. He’s married with five kids. He even has a house with a white picket fence.
He’s working the night shift as a firefighter in New York City. His shift ends and he’s going to go play golf with his three brothers. But he gets a call that there’s an emergency. He drops his plans and heads back into the city the morning of September 11, 2001.
The Brooklyn Battery is closed for security purposes, so he gets out of his truck and lugs 60 pounds of gear on foot toward the smoke. Frank Siller assumes his brother met up with the rest of his company at the south tower. His family never sees him again.
Veterans are asked to stand to receive recognition. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
“That little boy who went through so much makes the unbelievable journey…this unbelievable run…this unbelievable sacrifice…we need to honor him,” he said. That’s how Tunnel To Towers got its start.
In their fight for veterans, they’ve provided housing or support for more than 10,000 vets. There are 600 homeless veterans in New Jersey alone, but that number is probably low, as many go uncounted.
The huge numbers of homeless vets show a deep problem with how we treat those who sacrifice for us. “In the greatest country in the world, that should never happen,” said Brad Blakeman, board member of Tunnel To Towers.
Veterans are asked to stand to receive recognition. (Photo by Chris Lundy)
He told the story of working in the White House the morning of 9/11. He was a gatekeeper for President George W. Bush. He organized where the president was going, and had him scheduled for the next 21 days.
That morning, the president was in a Florida school as part of the No Child Left Behind program. Blakeman was at the White House in his office, with the TV on in the background in case world events happened that would need to change the president’s priorities.
The news of the first plane hitting the tower came across the airwaves. It was a terrible tragedy and the president needed to be told right away. Then the second tower hit and everyone knew the truth. Blakeman went to the Situation Room, and they were just learning about it as well. He helped people evacuate from the White House.
His sister called. Her son had driven to Ground Zero to help. He would not come back.
Blakeman recalled the president coming to his desk and saying “We’re going to find the people who did this and bring them to justice.”
How To Help
Tunnel To Towers has a number of special programs designed to help veterans and first responders. Besides veterans villages, they build smart homes for veterans with disabilities. The Gold Star Family Home program pays the mortgage of surviving spouses with young children.
For more information, including other ways they help, and ways to donate, visit T2T.org.
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