Ed Tanski and Greg Billy have lived through war and peace.

They are among 11,324 veterans in Butler County and over 700,000 in Pennsylvania being honored Nov. 11, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“I am honored to have been a part of the long line of those who have protected our country, standing to watch so others could sleep peacefully at home,” said Billy, a Cranberry Township businessman.

Summing up their time in the U.S. Navy as adventurous, they served a combined 36 years. Enlistment day for each one is memorable.

In 1967, at the age of 21, Tanski, a resident of Evans City, said he was “scared to death” to enlist due to the unknowns of the Vietnam era.

“I was diving into something I wasn’t educated in or aware of,” he recalled. Despite the fear however, the allure of everything the U.S. Navy had to offer appealed to him.

“I liked the adventure of travel and ships. You were starting to hear about the Navy’s involvement with space race and the technology that was available and that was attractive to me,” Tanski said.

He attended basic training at the Great Lakes Illinois base.

For Billy though, enlistment day was exhaustive.

On a hot July day in Maryland at the U.S. Naval Academy, Billy said that first day was “a blur of activity.”

With 11,000 plebes, also known as first-year midshipmen, the full day included handing over personal belongings, receiving a set of uniforms, getting a regulation haircut and having a dozen vaccinations in both arms. He said there was “lots of firm direction” or yelling by squad leaders while learning the fundamentals of standing at attention, saluting and marching.

Even though exhausting, he said it was the beginning of an experience he would forever cherish.

“Serving in the military to protect our freedoms has provided a sense of purpose and the satisfaction of being part of a winning team,” Billy said. “Working alongside the brightest and most dedicated people imaginable, I have been a part of events that affected the course of history.”

Throughout his 30-year career, Billy‘s service took him to multiple locations throughout the U.S. and Europe. As a submarine officer, highlights include being stationed in California, Connecticut and Washington.

Additionally, he served at the Office of Naval Intelligence in Maryland and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire. He also was stationed with the U.S. Sixth Fleet and served as the commander of a submarine squadron and Navy base in Italy.

“As a submarine officer, I participated in numerous classified missions during the Cold War,” said Billy, who served as a captain from 2003 to 2011. “The operations were of vital importance to U.S. security and were recognized with numerous awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation and several Navy Unit Commendations.

“I commanded an Ohio Class ballistic missile submarine, completing seven deterrent patrols. While serving on the staff of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, I helped direct missile launches and other operations in the Mediterranean during Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

During his six years with the Navy, Tanski reached the level of second class petty officer, an E-5 rating, which, he said, is the equivalent to a sergeant in the Army. His specification was diesel engine man.

In South Vietnam, he worked out of a small logistics base and “out of that base, we supported and operated river patrol boats.”

In Vietnam, he did two tours for 23 months in which he says there were good days and bad ones, but “the unexpected is always what frightens you the most.”

“Back in those days, technology wasn’t what it is now,” he said. “Your information day to day wasn’t quite as unique as it is now to troops. It wasn’t as precise. You were dependent upon everybody that you were working with to get as much information as you could to perform your duties.”

Shared bonds and shared experiences, through turbulence and calm, are the biggest takeaways for Tanski and Billy.

After their years of service, each went various directions. Tanski pursued more education and owned a few businesses, most notably Buttercup Woodlands Campground in Renfrew for 26 years, which, he says, gave him plenty of opportunity to connect with other veterans.

He has lived in Butler County since 1973, and he married his wife, Barb, in 1977. They have a daughter. He is retired and sold the campground in January.

Billy owns Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa in Cranberry Township, and he often can be found participating in community events, dining and taking part in other activities.

After leaving the Navy in 2011, Billy’s career path took him to Westingthouse and, then, Carnegie Mellon University, before opening the spa in 2018.

Billy has been married to his wife, Janell, for 36 years. They have one daughter.

Despite life moving on, both said it is the bonds between veterans that is the highlight of each Veterans Day for them.

“The greatest lesson is to stay focused on the mission and don’t sweat the small stuff. The greatest gift is camaraderie with a group of people,” Billy said.