BETHLEHEM, Pa. — On Veterans Day, two retired military leaders took the stage to share deeply personal stories from their service.
They included stories of bringing home fallen heroes of the Iraq War and guiding the Navy through the aftermath of the Tailhook scandal.
On Monday, ArtsQuest, along with partners Embassy Bank and Phoebe Ministries, honored Veterans Day with stories of courage, compassion and even funny tidbits during a question-and-answer panel at Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.
Retired Marine Corps Col. Frank Gunter of Lehigh University was host for the panel.
It featured two distinguished veterans: Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cheryl G. Ites, a retired Marine who served 35 years, including three tours in Iraq, and Master Chief Petty Officer Nathaniel “Nate” Smith, a Navy veteran who served 24 years across six classes of ships.
'Every war Has fatalities'
Ites served as a chief warrant officer leading a mortuary team in Fallujah during some of the deadliest fighting of the Iraq War, including the First and Second battles of Fallujah in 2004.
She shared her role in recovering and respectfully processing fallen service members — both American and enemy combatants.
“In every war, you have fatalities as well as other types of casualties,” she said.
“We needed processes and procedures in place. In the Marine Corps area of operation, that responsibility fell to us.”
Unlike the Army, Ites said, her Marines often performed battlefield recoveries under fire.
“When you’re recovering your own, it’s a labor of love. You want to make sure they are brought back and the families have closure."Retired U.S. Marine Cheryl Ites
"We would go out with a quick reaction force to the area of the incident, wherever that fatality occurred," Ites said.
"We would then recover those remains and bring them back to our location for processing, so that's how we differ from the other [military] services."
The recoveries also extended to the Iraqi soldiers, specifically during the Second Battle of Fallujah in late 2004.
“When you’re recovering your own, it’s a labor of love," she said. "You want to make sure they are brought back and the families have closure.
“Recovering enemy dead, I required them to show the same level of care and respect, and knowing that I was putting myself at danger, my Marines made it a bit harder."
She described coordinating with Iraqi imams and government officials to ensure proper burials.
A key element of Islamic burial customs, common in Iraq, involves positioning the deceased on their right side so that they face the Kaaba in Mecca.
“We placed them on their side facing Mecca,” Ites said.
"We beautified the ground, marked every location, and returned the information to the Iraqi government. It was about respect — for the living and the dead.”
Breaking Barriers, Building Respect
Both veterans spoke about serving during times of cultural change. Ites was one of the first women to serve as a Marine Corps military police officer.
“When I joined, there was one woman for every 200 men,” she said.
“My first provost sergeant told me the Marine Corps had done ‘some asinine things,’ and putting a woman in his field was one of them."
"You have to come in, and instead of wanting to be treated as a woman, you have to go into the military knowing that you're gonna be treated as a service member and take your sex out of it because it's not important to doing your job.Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cheryl G. Ites
Three months later, Ites said, that same sergeant promoted her.
"You have to come in, and instead of wanting to be treated as a woman, you have to go into the military knowing that you're gonna be treated as a service member and take your sex out of it because it's not important to doing your job.
"I was always treated, I think, as though I was a Marine and not as a woman. I think if you are brought in and you want to be treated a way, you're gonna be treated that way, but you're going to lose out on opportunities."
Smith echoed that respect for equality.
Following the fallout of the Tailhook scandal — a 1991 incident involving the sexual harassment and assault of female naval officers by male aviators — many leaders in the Navy were hesitant to take on all-female commands.
He said taking command of an all-female company proved both a challenge and a learning experience as he adjusted to the different needs of his recruits.
“Once I got past that, we had outstanding companies — they turned out to be some of the best [sailors] I ever had," Smith said.
Smith said that marked a defining moment, which he commemorated with a star tattoo above his ankle, a symbol of a successful command.
From 12-Hour Days to a Life at Sea
Smith shared memories from a Navy career that took him around the globe — from the Mediterranean to South America— and aboard ships such as the U.S.S. Coral Sea.
“The most difficult assignment I had was bringing the Coral Sea back from the West Coast and working seven days a week, 12-hour days, during overhaul,” Smith said.
“When the ship’s in port, the engineers are the first ones on and the last ones to leave — and that was us.”Master Chief Petty Officer Nathaniel “Nate” Smith
“When the ship’s in port, the engineers are the first ones on and the last ones to leave — and that was us.”
He lightened the mood with tidbits of Navy rituals, including the “Crossing the Equator” ceremony.
In the Navy, crossing the equator, also known as crossing the line, is far more than just another day at sea — it’s a maritime tradition, Smith said.
Sailors who have yet to make the crossing, known as “pollywogs,” undergo playful initiation rituals before the court of the ship's captains, King Neptune and Davy Jones.
Once they complete the ceremony, they earn the title of “shellback."
"From early morning, we crawled on our hands and knees through the entire ship, down to our skivvies,” he said.
The shellbacks used cut sections of fire hoses to give playful swats as the pollywogs made their way through.
“Then we had to crawl through a garbage chute filled with a week’s worth of trash,” he said.
The final challenge came before King Neptune himself, portrayed by a towering sailor who presided over the ceremony.
"You had to eat a black olive from King Neptune’s belly button,” he said.
"Of course,” Smith said, “the next time you cross the equator, you get to be on the other side of it.”
Service Beyond the Uniform
After retiring, Smith became chief boiler inspector for Pennsylvania, while Ites continued to serve at the Pentagon, helping to write Department of Defense policy on casualty management.
The two agreed that the military remains a strong career option for young people today — perhaps even more so than when they first enlisted.
"I tell them it’s a great opportunity to get educated and trained. You can build skills that transfer to civilian life."<br/>Retired U.S. Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Nathaniel Smith
“You still have the same opportunities, and probably more,” Smith said.
“If I talk to young men and women who don’t have a set goal or can’t afford college, I tell them it’s a great opportunity to get educated and trained," he said.
"You can build skills that transfer to civilian life.
"I always tell them, think about what you want to do after the service, because if you choose your military field wisely, it’ll open doors when you get out.”
Ites said that regardless of how long someone serves — four years or a full career — he or she will gain lessons that last a lifetime.
“You’ll learn discipline, make better choices," she said. "And come out with a clearer sense of who you are."
