Bernadette Wishom enlisted in the military because she needed a job. It became a 31-year career she can look back on fondly as she embarks on her next one.
During The University of Baltimore’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, Wishom shared how her assignments took her across the country and world where she made lifelong friends.
“I didn’t love every assignment, but overall, the Air Force was a great experience for me,” she said at the ceremony.
She toured Air Force One, officiated retirement and promotion ceremonies, and escorted her brother’s body from Texas so he could be buried in Arlington National Cemetery with their mother.
Now a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and third-generation Air Force member, Wishom is pursuing an M.A. in Legal Studies at The University of Baltimore and works in The Bob Parsons Veterans Center as a veteran ambassador. As an older adult, she wasn’t expecting to fit in but was pleasantly surprised by the center and its community.
“Everyone makes you feel like you're just part of something,” Wishom said. “Even though it's not a military environment, we're not wearing uniforms, it's more than a family. It's bigger than a family. Everyone is accepted, no matter what you look like, no matter what age you are, no matter what your demographic is.”
Kaitlyn Walker, a veteran ambassador whose father served in the U.S. Navy, told the audience at the ceremony that, through the veterans center, they felt comfortable opening up to new people and new opportunities.
“This is definitely one of the best jobs I've ever had,” Walker said. “I feel very proud to help veterans and the school as a whole, and I have Josiah [Guthland] and Dena [Allen-Few, center coordinator] and everyone at the Veteran Center to thank.”
Guthland took over as veterans center director six years ago. In the ceremony’s closing, he shared how he spent six years serving the U.S. Army. When he enlisted at 18, he had a different understanding of patriotism than he has today.
“I believe being a patriot is a lot like being a parent,” Guthland said. “As parents, we look at our children and see incredible potential. We see who they are today, but also who they might be. We celebrate their successes and stand beside them when life gets difficult. But every parent in this room knows our children are far from perfect, and yet we don't stop loving them. In fact, it's because we love them that we hold them accountable. We guide them, we challenge them and encourage them to grow.”
Guthland said he went from seeing patriotism as something he was willing to fight for to understanding it’s more about what we, as a nation, are willing to build.
“Veterans Day is an opportunity to recognize the men and women who have worn the uniform of our Armed Forces. We serve for different reasons in different places and with different experiences, but we share something important. We committed ourselves to serving something greater than ourselves, and that commitment does not have to end when we take off the uniform, or put it back on, and I see that every day here at the University of Baltimore. … What makes me proudest of these past six years isn't just how many students we serve, or the number of new veteran students we continue to serve, it's the community that we've built around them.”
In his final Veterans Day ceremony as UBalt’s president, Kurt L. Schmoke thanked Guthland, UBalt's veterans and military affiliates, and spoke about the distinction between the warrior and the war.
“There are times when there are conflicts around the world, and we debate our points of view—whether our country is involved or whether it's other countries—and we can often have differences in point of view about a particular conflict or particular war, but we should always honor those who step forward in service to the country,” he said.