Life and legacy at the Indiana Veterans' Home

Contrary to some staff members of the Indiana Veteran's Home in West Lafayette feeling the facility is looked down upon by the public, to the point of being "villainized," admissions counselor Megan Schultz describes the home — the only facility of its kind in the state — with the words “Family, Gratitude, Honor and Home.”

Established in 1896, the Indiana Veterans' Home currently accommodates 113 active residents, though its total capacity is 212. To qualify as a resident, one must have been honorably discharged from the military, and be from Indiana. The home also welcomes the wives and widows of veterans.

Since it is a state-run facility, stay is not free, but many residents use government and Veteran Affairs supported programs to fund their residency. A full range of medical services are available for residents, and the faculty is mainly composed of skilled care workers and administrative personnel.

The compound's amenities include an art and craft room, a library, a small bank, two chapels, a barber shop and hair salon, a physical therapy room, a hotel for visiting families, a mini-mart and a fishing pond along with outdoor patios.

“My mom worked here. I’ve been around Indiana Veteran Home since I was five years old, and I started working here in 2007. I plan on being here until retirement,” admissions director Tamara Smith said. “When you love what you're doing, for me that is taking care of the residents and our veterans, and giving back to them, there is a feeling of accomplishment.”

Despite some unused buildings, the compound has remained consistent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, staff continually updated rules to address crises similar homes faced.

“The most challenging part of COVID was the lack of visitors our residents had,” superintendent Amy Gibson said.

Current challenges of the home are recruiting staff to work for a wage funded by taxpayers, recent staffing mandates, and the quality of food. Nevertheless, a sense of optimism is strong.

“I feel like we're very lucky with the things we can do for our residents here,” Schultz said.

Richard Murray, 72, was homeless for over a decade in the Indianapolis area before using his federal support as a combat survivor to live at the home.

“Vietnam took my patriotism away from me because I’ve seen Americans shoot Americans in the back,” he said.

Murray, who says he was destined to become a Marine, enlisted for service after his brother went to Vietnam and was shot.

“I grew up in Vietnam. I learned some things about valor and honor,” he said, “I knew what it meant to have a brother not by my mother, but a brother in arms.”

Murray lives without a colon and relies on the medical staff to take care of him.

“Since I’ve been here I’ve found my home. More veterans need to know about the outreach and assistance they do here,” Murray said.

Veterans have the choice of being buried at the on-site cemetery, which has hundreds of headstones of former residents dating back to the 19th century.

The cemetery's centerpiece is a flagpole with an upright bronze cannon, which was used in a fort in Santiago, Cuba. It was seized by American troops in 1898 and was taken to an arsenal in New York.

Larry Witty, 77, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star Vietnam War veteran who grew up in Brazil, Indiana, shared that a few years ago he became curious about the history of the cannon, and a stone slab in front of it that was obscured by dirt

“I took a broom and cleaned out the lettering, and pretty soon it told me all about it,” Witty said.

The inscription reveals that John Whitehead, a Union Army private in the Civil War, paid the cost of obtaining and erecting the bronze cannon from the New York arsenal for the home’s cemetery flagpole before his death in 1899 where he is also buried.

“I say ‘good morning’ to John and salute him. I don’t think anybody else I know does that. His story needs to be told,” Witty said.

The home's annual Memorial Day ceremony will occur at 10 a.m. on May 27 and will feature keynote speaker Gabrielle J. Owens, who is the General Counsel for the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs. Members of the state and community are welcome to join to honor those who have died for our freedom.