The Manor At Seneca Hill Honors Veterans With Military Appreciation Event

OSWEGO – The Manor at Seneca Hill in Oswego celebrated Memorial Day along with Military Appreciation Month; in an effort to honor the veterans that call The Manor their home during a military appreciation event held on Thursday, May, 19.

Along with the veterans living in the facility, an Army National Guardsman serving at the facility was also an honored guest during the event. Sgt. Cunningham is one of a series of guardsmen who have assisted the facility throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The celebration was an idea collectively inspired by Activities Director Shari Mezza, Chief Operating Officer Jason Santiago and Director of Social Work Brianne Barr as a way to honor the residents who selflessly served our country.

Several veterans who attended the celebration took a step back in time; speaking of poignant, funny and sometimes bittersweet moments during their time serving.

Resident Thomas Goss shared his thoughts about his time spent in the Army, mentioning his tour of duty in the Philippine’s. Goss was originally based at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC serving in communications as a lineman.

“I spent two and a half years in the Philippines. We had three guns and were just getting ready to pack up and head out for the next step – Japan. Luckily, it cooled down there. We had three of the big Howitzers and all kinds of equipment,” Goss said. “Nobody wanted it.”

Resident Patrick Matthews also spoke of his time in the Marine Corps, serving with the 26^th Marine Regiment.

“I traveled with Communications. We had communications setup responsibility for the area around the caisson,” Matthews said. “Anybody that pushed a pencil did their share.”

“I was in the Air Force [for] four years,” said a veteran who’s staying at The Manor for rehabilitation. “They said, where do you want to go? I said Europe, Europe and Europe – I got Boise, Idaho,” he laughed. “I had fun there – then I had to go TDY to Cold Lake, Alberta. That was -20 below up there . You would drive your car around on the ice. And it was a Canadian base so they had Canadian WACS, so that was handy,” he said.

Another resident named Tom also recalled the time he spent in the military and the loss of one of his brothers during the war.

“Yeah, I enjoyed it [for] another four years. When I got through, I stuck around for a while and then my other brother came around and said, “Tom, you want to go back in?” I said, “Sure, why not?” So he says, “Okay, let’s go.” So we went, and we had fun,” Tom said. “And I lost one of my brothers; he was one of the older ones. Then we all came home, and I had to go in a second time. I stuck it out until I came home. But we had fun.”

Seneca Hill staff ended Thursday’s ceremony with gifts for each resident and a congratulatory sendoff for Sgt. Cunningham, coupled with rounds of applause. Cunningham’s tour of duty at The Manor ends on May 30.

Santiago thanked Cunningham for his continued support in helping staff and residents during his time at The Manor.

“I would just like to say thank you to Sgt. Cunningham – it’s been a big help to us; not just the staff here but also these residents to all keep them safe,” Santiago said. “So I just want to say thank you to that and to other fellow officers that have been here. We can’t thank you enough for your time and service to us – thank you.”

Cunningham has been at the facility since Mid-march of 2022, helping the facility with COVID-19 responsibilities. Cunningham enlisted five years ago, saying he is going to re-enlist for another six years and move forward with his military career. He is currently stationed at Fort Drum.

“Definitely a good part was just being able to help people,” Cunningham said. “As crazy as this pandemics been, it gave me the opportunity to do what I actually enlisted to do – to assist the community that I live in.”

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