Troops volunteering during Fleet Week

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - They're men and women of the sea, but their service on land is just as admirable. In town for New York Fleet Week, some military personnel decided to volunteer within the community. Several service members refreshed the Brownsville Senior Center in Brooklyn on Thursday.

Jessenia Ramirez of the Marine Corps is based in North Carolina but is originally from New York. She said service of any kind runs in her blood. Though she admitted this work is a tad different than her typical duties.

"You never really stop serving anytime, whether we have the uniform on or off," she said. "You get to interact with people you never met before so it's a new experience."

Aaron Ledford of the U.S. Coast Guard said the project was a nice change of pace.

"The difference is it's not the outside of a ship so it's a little bit cooler and we're working in the shade, which is nice," Ledford said.

All of this was made possible thanks to Habitat for Humanity, which has worked in conjunction with Fleet Week for six years.

"We're working with the senior center with what they want it to look like when it's completed," Jennifer Schwerin of Habitat for Humanity said.

"We need people like that," said resident John Williams. "We need more people."

The volunteers said they were honored to be a part of the project. And showing her fellow service members the truth about New Yorkers is an added bonus, Ramirez said.

"I love the people in New York—they're very nice," she said. "People say, 'they're rude' and they're not. They're great people and I love giving back to my community."

The room will be up and running for seniors in about five weeks.