ENTERPRISE, Ala. — Veterans from across Alabama and the country gathered in Enterprise Friday to commemorate the opening of the state’s fifth veterans home.
The 182,000 square-foot Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home in south Alabama is named after the late Adkins, a Huntsville native and U.S. Army veteran whose service in the Vietnam War saw him awarded with the Medal of Honor in 2014.
Adkins’ extended family was there Friday, as was Adkins’ son, Keith Adkins, who during an emotional speech thanked state leaders for their efforts in seeing the facility through to its completion.
“We’re very honored, as his family, for the dedication of this veterans home to his name and his legacy,” Adkins said.
The facility will house 200 residents, with 20 current residents of other veterans homes scheduled to move into the new facility on Oct. 1 and applications for residency opening later.
The home was funded roughly two-thirds by the state of Alabama, and a third from the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs, according to Brandon Miller, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs spokesperson.
It was the collaboration between the city of Enterprise, the state of Alabama and the federal government, said Kent Davis, ADVA commissioner, that made the facility’s construction possible.
“This project would not have happened without the incredible daily contributions and partnership from local, state and federal officials,” Davis said. “All those stories you hear about government agencies not being able to partner and get along, look behind me. There’s an example of what can happen when all of those entities work together.”
The project first began in 2018 after the ADVA Board, acknowledging the long waiting list for the state’s existing four veterans homes, commissioned a feasibility study for a fifth home.
“We had such a long waiting list for so long in this state when we had four homes,” Tony Berenotto, ADVA Board member, told Alabama Daily News. “The fourth home filled up so fast, and I suspect this one will fill up really fast as well.”
After the feasibility study supported the construction of a fifth home in the Wiregrass region, the site was selected in early 2020, the name of the facility chosen in 2021, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held in June of 2022.
Some of those who attended Friday’s ceremony knew Adkins personally, including Michael Rose, a retired U.S. Army Captain and fellow Medal of Honor recipient who was the ceremony’s keynote speaker.
Davis, who had also met Adkins before his death, introduced Rose, telling attendees of his service during Operation Tailwind, a 1970 covert operation during the Vietnam War in Laos.
“Rose treated 60 to 70 wounded personnel for four days under nearly continuous enemy fire,” Davis said. “For his actions during the four-day engagement, he was indeed awarded a Medal of Honor.”
Rose, who had been sitting next to Adkins’ son, took the podium to share a few words of the new veterans home.
“This facility is something that says to the world that the people of the state of Alabama care about our veterans, and care about the things that they have done, the losses they have,” Rose said. “This is number five, and god willing, there’ll be six, seven, eight, nine and ten or more.”
Enterprise Mayor William Cooper had also played a large role in seeing the project through to its completion, and noted during the ceremony that many of the facility’s residents, like Rose, would be Vietnam War veterans. As of late 2023, there are just over 100,000 living WWII veterans compared to well over 6 million Vietnam War veterans.
“Many of you have heard stories about the Greatest Generation; the men and women who will live here are the ones who came after them, and are often called the Silent Generation,” Cooper said.
“Let us be their voice, let us share their stories, let us be the one to ensure no one ever forgets the service and sacrifice of these brave men and women.”
The celebration Friday came after months of controversy within the state veterans department. Davis agreed earlier in the week to resign as commissioner, effective the end of the year, at the request of Gov. Kay Ivey. The governor cited examples of mishandling funding requests and conflict with other agency heads when she asked Davis to step down.