TOWSON — As America prepares to mark 250 years, WMAR-2 News brought together veterans from different generations to talk about service, sacrifice and what it means to wear the uniform across changing eras of American history.
The conversation was designed as a living timeline of local veterans — from Vietnam to Desert Storm, decades in the Air National Guard and the post-9/11 wars.
Each veteran brought a different lens.
A living timeline of service: Baltimore-area veterans discuss war, homecoming and what America should remember
Carol “Sonny” Smith served in the United States Marine Corps from 1965 to 1969. He joined as a 17-year-old after his mother signed for him to enlist.
“I had always just wanted to be a Marine,” Smith said.
Nancy Harris started in the Army Reserve in Baltimore in 1987. She deployed during Desert Storm before later joining the West Virginia Air National Guard, then the Maryland Air National Guard, where she became a C-130 loadmaster.
“I would love for veterans to know that being in the military was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had,” Harris said. “I think there’s so many opportunities.”
Van Hess has served in the Air National Guard since 1985 and said he will mark 41 years of service in July. He has spent his entire career with the Maryland Air Guard, deploying multiple times in support of missions including Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
“I’ve been doing it for 41 years and I wouldn’t do anything different,” Hess said.
Ryan Kules served in the Army from 2003 to 2007. He deployed to Taji, Iraq, about 15 miles north of Baghdad, and was medically retired after being wounded in Iraq in 2005.
Kules said joining the military was about becoming part of something larger than himself.
“You’re going to learn a lot of things that are going to matter,” Kules said. “And really be able to impact not only yourself, but others moving forward.”
The panel began with a simple question: Why did you choose to serve?
For Harris, service was rooted in family. Her father served in the Navy and Army and was a Korean War veteran. Her brother also served in the Guard.
“My dad instilled patriotism in me,” Harris said.
For Smith, the answer went back to childhood in Baltimore, watching Marines march in dress blues during parades.
“I said, ‘I’m gonna get me one of them uniforms,’” Smith said. “And I did.”
For Kules, the decision to serve was reinforced by September 11, 2001. He was in ROTC at Arizona State University when the attacks happened.
“Like a lot of people, that really just codified the need to serve and be able to be part of the response to that terrible, terrible day,” Kules said.
The conversation shifted when Kules described the support many post-9/11 service members received from family, friends and the country after the attacks.
That is when Smith was asked if his experience as a Vietnam veteran was similar.
It was not.
“When I got out, the rhetoric going on in the streets made me feel like I had done something wrong by going to Vietnam,” Smith said.
Smith said he remembers feeling ashamed of the uniform he once dreamed of wearing. Decades later, he said the words “thank you for your service” still matter.
“I never get tired of hearing it,” Smith said. “Thank you for recognizing that we did nothing wrong, that we were serving our country the only way we knew how.”
His answer sparked a direct response from Kules, who said the way post-9/11 veterans were received was shaped by the lessons learned from how Vietnam veterans were treated.
“I feel the reception that I received, and the post-9/11 generation has received, is because of the mistakes we made,” Kules said. “We didn’t support the warrior coming back from those.”
He turned the moment back toward Smith.
“Thank you for being the change that was needed,” Kules said.
Harris agreed.
“I think we get thanked for our service because of veterans like you,” she said.
The veterans also discussed how the military itself has changed.
For Harris, becoming a C-130 loadmaster meant entering a role where women were still few. She said the experience shaped her by making her resilient and persistent.
“Knowing I can do stuff,” Harris said. “When I joined the military, it was totally out of my wheelhouse of anything I had done in the civilian world.”
Harris said the job taught her teamwork, follow-through and the importance of having people behind her.
“I knew I could do it,” Harris said. “And having a team behind you and having people supporting you, it really makes a big difference.”
Hess said during his more than four decades in uniform, he has watched the military change in real time.
For him, the biggest difference is technology.
“Technology has changed the way we do things across the board,” Hess said.
He said today’s equipment would amaze earlier generations of service members.
“The technology that we have now is just absolutely incredible,” Hess said.
Smith agreed, pointing to drones and other technology that can reduce the number of American lives put directly in danger.
Harris said communication changed, too. During earlier deployments, she said it could take weeks to get a letter or a package. Service members could wait hours just to make a short phone call home.
“You couldn’t use your cell phones,” Harris said. “You would wait in line for two hours just to call home for 30 seconds.”
By her later deployments, that had changed.
Harris said she could FaceTime family, order supplies online and stay connected in ways that were not possible earlier in her career.
But when the veterans were asked what stayed the same across generations, the answer was not about technology.
It was about camaraderie.
“The camaraderie has very much stayed consistent,” Kules said.
He said no matter the branch or era, service members understand what it means to look out for one another.
Harris said that bond is difficult to replace after leaving the military.
“There’s a pride that you get from being in the military that you can’t replace either,” Harris said.
Coming home looked different for each veteran.
Smith said returning from Vietnam was painful because of how some Americans viewed the war and those who served in it. He said it took time to understand that he had nothing to be ashamed of.
“I’m all right with it now because I realized I didn’t do anything wrong,” Smith said.
Harris said returning from deployments often came with signs, balloons and welcome-home celebrations. But retiring was harder.
She said she was not ready to leave. Her flying unit no longer had its mission, and several members retired around the same time.
“It was still very hard because it’s very hard to replace the pride that you get from serving,” Harris said.
Hess, who is still serving, remembered coming home from a deployment to Afghanistan that was supposed to last 45 days but stretched to six months after the Second Gulf War began.
He said when his unit finally returned to Martin State Airport, families were waiting.
“When we walked off that airplane across the ramp into the hangar and our families were all there, it was fantastic,” Hess said.
For Kules, coming home was different.
“One moment for me, I was in Iraq, and then really the next moment for me, it was two weeks later and I was at Walter Reed recovering from injuries,” Kules said.
He had lost his right arm and left leg and was beginning a long recovery.
Kules said support from family, friends and organizations like Wounded Warrior Project helped him move forward. He remembered receiving a backpack with basic comfort items after arriving at Walter Reed.
“It was pretty awesome to be able to get that,” Kules said. “With that backpack was also a promise of, ‘Hey, we’re going to be here for whatever you need next.’”
He said that kind of support matters for any veteran transitioning out of military service.
“There’s a host of organizations and support networks,” Kules said. “To ensure that veterans aren’t alone when they’re making that transition.”
As America prepares for its 250th birthday, the panel was asked what the country should remember about those who served.
Hess answered with a phrase many military families know well.
“Some gave all. I gave some,” Hess said.
Harris said Americans should remember the sacrifice and commitment made by service members so the country can continue to live with freedom.
Smith said America is not perfect, but he believes it remains worth serving.
“With all its warts and pimples and bad things that you can say about it, it is the best country in the world,” Smith said. “And a lot of credit goes to our military and our veterans.”
The panel also looked toward the next generation.
Smith said he admires today’s service members because they join during an all-volunteer era.
“The men and women that joined today, they join on their own,” Smith said. “That dedication I admire.”
Harris said serving is a commitment that can mean missing birthdays, anniversaries and time with family. But she also said service changes people and can help them become more grateful for what they have.
Kules said military service gives people skills and experiences they cannot get anywhere else.
“The value that you bring to yourself, the value that you bring to your community, while you’re in service and coming out of service, is immense,” Kules said.
Hess said those considering service may not fully understand what they could gain until they do it.
“If you don’t do it, you don’t know what you’re going to miss out on,” Hess said.
Even after everything they experienced, the veterans said they do not regret their service.
“I never regretted my experience,” Smith said.
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Hess said.
Harris said for many veterans, service does not end when the uniform comes off.
“I don’t think you ever stop serving,” she said.
