GEORGETOWN, Ohio — Henry Dixon drovefrom Harrison — 65 miles — to be here Saturday morning.

        He was among more than 200 people, many of them veterans, who turned out on a chilly morning in the middle of a field to watch as state, county and local officials broke ground for what will be only the second nursing home in the state to serve Ohio's veterans.

VETERANS HOME

Construction: Will begin later this week, with completion expected by early 2003.     Cost: $15 million.     Beds: 168 in four long-term care units, which will include an Alzheimer's Unit.     Located: Georgetown, about 45 miles east of Cincinnati in Brown County. It will be at the corner of U.S. Route 68 and Hamer Road.

        “Hopefully, this is where I'll be located — my home,” said Mr. Dixon, who will turn 81 in January. He wore a “USS Anderson” cap, the destroyer that the Navy veteran served on in the South Pacific during World War II.

        The Southern Ohio Veterans Home will become the first nursing home for long-term care built for Ohio veterans since the first one was constructed in 1888, more than a century ago, in Sandusky, in northern Ohio.

        Construction is due to begin this week. . The state is paying 35 percent of the cost, with the federal government funding 65 percent.

        Gov. Bob Taft and U.S. Rep. Rob Portman (R-Terrace Park) joined Brown County commissioners, state representatives, a state senator and other local officials in a poignant ceremony made all the more meaningful by Sept. 11 and the subsequent events of the past 18 days.

        “The events of Sept. 11 weigh heavy on our hearts,” Mr. Taft said. “Now more than ever we can appreciate the sacrifices of our veterans. They were there when we needed them. We need to be there when they need us.”

        The Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky serves about 700 residents, but there are 1.2 million veterans in Ohio — 247,000 of them are aging World War II veterans. The Ohio Veterans Home will oversee the newvenue in Georgetown, which is expected to open in early 2003.

        “Recent events have made us so much more appreciative of the men and women in uniform,” Mr. Portman said. “How appropriate that we gather to talk about the need to take care of our veterans.”

        Col. Christine Cook, director of the Sandusky home, has received 200 applications for the new home.

        “We stress one thing, dignity,” said Gary Chetwood, director of public affairs for the Sandusky home. He said admission is based on ability to pay, although the cost is about one-third the cost of a regular nursing home.

        “We honor our heroes every day at the home,” said Col. Cook. “Every day is Veterans Day.”

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