“There’s things bigger than us, that will outlive us”: Veterans spoke about their experiences in service

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Local veterans shared their experiences in the military and what service means to the community on Veterans Day at the National Automobile Museum, where dozens of people came to hear their stories.

The museum provided the venue for the event. Veterans who spoke said the experience was cathartic and let them share parts of their histories and perspectives with an audience that supported them.

“There’s things bigger than us, that will outlive us,” says Andre Storres who has served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 21 years.

Pride in service

David Sousa served 25 years in the U.S. Army. He now serves as the national council administration for Veterans of Foreign Wars for the state of Nevada.

“I served 25 years in the United States Army. I’ve been to several different countries and just enjoyed my time in the military. And to come back and have people just stand there and say, thank you for your service, just means so much to me and just takes pride in this nation and the community,” Sousa said.

Sousa said people outside the United States have also thanked him for his service.

“I was in Berlin, Germany after the wall went down. in East Germany, when we were just driving around town, people would see you and recognize you as an American. They were happy. They were in Mombasa, Kenya. When I was in Somalia, they would see our American flag on the side of our shirts. And they were just so, so astounding. They’d come up and say, thank you for being here. Thank you for helping out,” Sousa said.

A call to serve others

Torres says the greatest takeaway from his service, and his advice to the next generations, is to follow the call to serve others.

“When you’re thinking of something much bigger than yourself, that is the true essence of like selflessness. We as a community, as service members, it’s not that we want to be thanked, it’s more along the lines of we’ve seen there’s a call to support each other, to support in the things we care about, which is the American way,” Torres said.