Veterans Share Stories At Tietz Center

Morris Zlotnick was 13 when he left home to fight in the Russian Revolution, fighting an underground war to help persecuted Jews escape from the country.
Now 97, Zlotnick is one of countless war veterans living at retirement homes across the country, waiting for their unique stories to be told.
Last Thursday, the Margaret Tietz Center hosted members of the New York State chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) for their annual National Community Service Day.
AARP combined its annual day of service during which all state AARP offices were closed with its budding Veterans History Project, where war veterans like Zlotnick tell their stories in a one-on-one interview. Once the interviews are complete, the tapes are sent to the Library of Congress to go into the countrys permanent record.
Linda Spiegel, public relations director for the Center, said that the all-day affair was a hit with the residents. After the interviews, there was a screening of a promotional tape for the Veterans History Project and a performance by two members of the Benjamin Cardozo High School Sharps program, singer Sarah Kahan and pianist Donna Lee.
"Practically everyone who was a veteran was interested. They were proud to tell their stories, and the AARP was very, very warmly received. It was an incredible event," she said.
Phyllis Cohn, communications representative for AARP, said the goal of the Veterans History Project is to assemble stories before it is too late.
"The stories are going with the people," she said. "What people dont realize is that for both those who listen and those who tell the story, its incredible."
Duayne Patterson, 57, went before the camera and shared his experience as a flight engineer in the Korean War.
Patterson who grew up in Superior, Pennsylvania said he was responsible for prepping the planes for "all the aviation brass," and his unit was responsible for tracking the movement of North Koreans in North Korea, and to observe the demilitarized zone along the 38th parallel.
Patterson said he thought the Veterans History Project was a valuable teaching tool for future generations especially for the current generation, which has only had glimpses of an all-out war.
"People dont understand that in Korea, it was a rough experience," Patterson said.
The Margaret Tietz Center was selected as the New York City location for AARPs National Community Service Day because of an old friendship between Spiegel and AARP Acting Associate State Director Rustie Brooke, who knew a visit to the facility would be an eye-opener for her staff.
"We were aware that Margaret Tietz was one of the best nursing homes in New York City," she said, "and we wanted the AARP staff to know how a good nursing home runs, smells, and feels from knowing not from a piece of paper."
Brooke said that nearly 20 residents volunteered for the interviews, which lasted one hour each. Each veteran was accompanied by a center staff member to make them feel more comfortable.
But the veterans fared fine, and even impressed the center and AARP staff with tales of heroism and glory.
"The staffs reaction to the interviews was so validating," said Cohn. "Its almost as impressive as the veterans telling the stories."
Spiegel agreed.
"I felt like I was a part of history. I feel like I know who they were before they came into the facility," she said.