Facility ready for Theinert Ranch to accommodate vets, active military and families

James Theinert called it a “complexity of emotions” for family members of 1st Lt. Joseph J. Theinert to finally see new barracks at a ranch this winter in a beautiful part of New Mexico. The housing will provide space for a respite for active duty military personnel, veterans and Gold Star families.

The ranch was born out of a tragedy, the death of Mr. Theinert’s brother, Islander U.S. Army 1st Lt. Joseph J. Theinert, killed in action on June 4, 2010 in Afghanistan. He was disabling the second of two IEDs that June day that threatened his unit. Just before the explosion that killed him, he ordered the 20 men under his command out of the area to safety.

The New Mexico location, christened Strongpoint Theinert Ranch, has become a place of healing for the Theinert-Kestler family. And for other Americans who have been touched by the traumas and sorrow of war.

“This is a place the family always thought was so special,” said Mr. Theinert, president of the Strongpoint Theinert Ranch.

Spurred on by members of Joey’s platoon, his mother, Chrys Kestler and stepfather, Dr. Frank Kestler, contributed land they owned surrounding their house in Magdalena, N.M.

Even without a barracks on the land, Mr. Theinert was able to use the Kestler house as a base to bring members of the military and veterans to the site where they not only got a sense of plans for the ranch, but helped in its development. This year, he expects to pass a threshold of 100 or more service men and women and veterans who have visited the site.

Both fundraising and site development began, only to be sharply halted when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States in March 2020. If those early trips gave the family hope the project would become a reality, the pandemic made Mr. Theinert wonder, “Oh, my gosh, are we ever going to be able to move forward?”

But on Feb. 27, this year, Strongpoint Theinert Ranch reached a milestone.

Three 76-foot by 40-foot sections of the barracks were trucked to the site from a factory in Phoenix, Ariz., and were assembled into a 3,040-foot barracks. A volunteer team, including construction professionals, contributed time and skills installing heating and water systems, electrical connections, plumbing — all the necessities to make the prefabricated structure livable.

Fundraising efforts through the years had accumulated $300,000 to pay for the barracks building, lay a concrete slab foundation, dig a 400-foot well to supply drinking water, install a septic system and provide 220 amp electrical service.

“I’m very grateful to everybody who got us here,” Mr. Theinert said about those who have contributed money and volunteer hours and skills to bring the project to fruition.

At the family house on the property, there were only five beds, so when groups came to the site, most slept on makeshift air mattresses and were crowded into a small area.

The much larger barracks will accommodate 19 participants at a time and three program facilitators, including a licensed social worker for each therapeutic retreat. There will be 12 beds in a dormitory, three traditional bedrooms and four full bathrooms, three of which are handicapped accessible, Mr. Theinert said.

During the school break in February, Mr. Theinert, his wife Mary and their children accompanied the Kestlers and a social worker friend who speaks Spanish to communicate with construction workers putting the unit together.

What was essentially an inspection tour with some fine-tuning proved all systems worked as expected, allowing plans to move forward with a volunteer crew of 16 — a master carpenter, electrical engineer, professional plumber, veterans, friends and family to work on projects to make the building fully functional.

That means building custom-designed bunk beds; grading the land; constructing a retaining wall to help protect the building from water damage during the rainy season that typically hits in the southwest between June 15 and Sept. 30; installing a 40-foot storage container to provide workshop space for veterans programs; constructing a locker storage system in a mudroom for participants’ use; and pouring concrete to create walkways and a patio around the barracks to protect the building from the elements.

“We have the labor for these projects,” Mr. Theinert said in a newsletter being sent out to supporters. But money is needed to purchase materials, he said.

The overall cost of this next phase is $33,000, including $8,000 from already secured in-kind contributions.

Ongoing fundraising activities are aimed at closing the gap.

The March 20 Mitchell Half Marathon on Shelter Island aims to raise $10,000 (see story, page XX). In June, a Strongpoint Theinert Ranch team will be entering the Shelter Island 10K.

Mr. Theinert said he hopes another annual fundraiser, a lawn party followed by a cruise aboard South Ferry’s Lt. Joseph J. Theinert boat, will be in the cards. It had to be suspended in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.

Contributions to support the work can be made at the Strongpoint Theinert website at strongpointtheinert.org.