Groundbreaking Set For New Veterans' Home Community Center

(THE DALLES, Ore.) - The Oregon Veterans' Home will host a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m., Thur., Nov. 18, for the construction of the new Stan and Jean Adams Veterans' Community Center.

Representatives from the offices of Sen. Ron Wyden, Sen. Jeff Merkley, and Rep. Greg Walden have been invited to join State Rep. John Huffman, The Dalles Mayor Jim Wilcox and other state and local leaders to break ground on the project.

The $3 million center was developed by the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide a much needed center on the grounds of the Home located at 700 Veterans Drive. Scheduled to open in May 2011, the 9,300 square foot center will be a gathering place for activities for residents and special events.

Project manager John Osborn said it will be built using Federal and State matching funds.

"The new center will fill a need for residents and their families as a gathering place for parties and other events. We haven't had a place in the past where all residents and their families could come together," Osborn said. "They'll also be getting some much needed storage space, too."

The new center will be named, for a former resident of The Dalles and native of Kansas, Stanley T. Adams and his wife Jean. Adams was a World War II enlisted solder who later received the military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions in the Korean War. The medal is on display at the Home.

He was sent to Korea as a sergeant soon after the outbreak of war there and would lead a 13-man bayonet charge against an estimated 150 enemy forces on Feb. 4, 1951. Wounded in the leg, Adams and his comrades routed the enemy while fighting hand to hand in close quarters, killing more than 50, until the hostile force began to retreat.

On July 5, 1951, President Harry S. Truman presented then-Master Sgt Adams with the Medal of Honor at a ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC. Adams was commissioned as an officer shortly after receiving the medal and remained in the Army until 1970, serving in Vietnam. He retired as a lieutenant colonel.

Stan Adams passed away in 1999. Jean, also a World War II veteran, continued to support the Home following Stans death until she passed away in 2008.

Source: Oregon Dept. of Veterans' Affairs