War is hell and ugly at best. It leaves scars that never heal and stories that go untold. Veterans are the living testaments of valor. Their tales are not just about battles won or lost, but about the quiet moments of humanity that shine through the darkness. Their stories remind us that true bravery is not the absence of fear, but the strength to carry on despite it.
In honor of Veterans Day, Isle of Palms VFW Post 3137, aka “The Post on the Coast,” was generous enough to volunteer a few veterans to share their service stories with Island Vibes. Thank you for your service and thanks for letting us tell your tales of valor.
MAJ. GEN. MATTHEW LEAIRD
Born into a military household, Maj. Gen. Matthew Leaird grew up listening to war stories from his father. As the son of an A4 Skyhawk Attack Plane Pilot in Vietnam, defending his country was in his genes. He knew from a young age that he was destined to fight his own battles and so he did.
By 1980, Leaird had followed in his footsteps, enrolling at The Citadel and later commissioning into the Marines. Though he left active duty in 1988, a distant war had other plans. Just a year later he rejoined the reserves and was activated for a 10-month deployment in Operation Desert Storm in 1990.
Leaird was an assault amphibian vehicle commander, leading men into one of the most dangerous and uncertain missions of the war. Their assignment was to storm the shores of Kuwait as a diversion, drawing Iraq’s Republican Guard toward the coastline. The operation came with a likelihood of no return – his unit was warned that casualties could reach 70%.
“Until you get shot at you’re just worried,” Leaird said. “Once you get shot at, your training kicks in and you do what you’ve been trained to do. You’re always concerned about dying but you’ve got to perform. You can’t freeze up.”
As Leaird’s unit pushed forward, they witnessed scenes that remain burned into his memory. Under orders from former Iraq president and dictator Saddam Hussein, his forces were instructed to torch Kuwait’s oil fields. “The smoke was so thick it blotted out the sun,” Leaird recalled. “You couldn’t see your hand in front of you in the daytime.”
Leaird’s team maneuvered through minefields in single-file caravans. Every rumble of their amphibious vehicles carried the possibility of detonation.
Leaird was a captain at the beginning of the war and a major by the end of it. He made it through the war unscathed, with the exception of his hearing, which took a toll from tense firefights with Iraqi troops. Yet, the invisible wounds took much longer to heal.
On the 30th anniversary of the war, documentaries about Desert Storm stirred up nightmares and flashbacks, pushing Leaird to seek therapy for his post-traumatic stress. “When you’ve seen people literally torn apart and the smell of burnt flesh – those things stick with you,” he said.
Today, Leaird continues to honor those who served beside him. “A lot of times,” he reflected, “the people that thank me for my service are people who served themselves.”
U.S. NAVY CAPT MARYALICE MORRO, NC, USN-RET
For U.S. Navy CAPT Maryalice Morro, service to her country began with a selfless affinity for helping others. Following her graduation from Villanova treating nearly 700 wounded U.S. service members and dozens of Iraqi prisoners of war and civilian casualties.
The language barrier created confusion and fear. The Iraqi prisoners perceived equipment such as defibrillators as torture devices designed to get secret information from them. Little did they know that nurses like Morro were instructed to save their lives.
“I think we changed the hearts and minds of the Iraqi men that were on our ship that had no idea what to expect from us,” Morro said. “In the beginning I think they thought we were going to kill them and we gained their trust slowly but surely.”
Morro still has flashbacks of the terror in the prisoners’ eyes, which she described as “big white saucers.”
With armed guards protecting the medical staff, Morro treated everyone under her care, even one of Saddam Hussein’s own men, part of the notorious “deck of cards” list of Iraq’s most-wanted figures. As of January 2025, all but four of the 52 most wanted have either died or been captured.
But amid the trauma and tension, Morro found light in the resilience of her fellow Americans. “Laughter was the best medicine,” she said. “Some of them had pretty horrific injuries, but even in their darkest moments, they supported and teased each other. It kept them human.”
Reflecting on nearly three decades of service, Morro’s pride remains unwavering. “I truly enjoyed my 29 years and wouldn’t trade one of them,” she said. “It’s a wonderful calling to be able to serve your country – and to do it as a nurse is even better.”
After spending 35 years in government and serving around the world in support of peacetime, humanitarian and wartime missions, Morro still lives in the house she bought on Isle of Palms back in 1997. She currently serves as an adjunct faculty for the Swain Department of Nursing at The Citadel.
COL. CHARLES PHILLIPS, COMMAND CHAPLAIN
A young man took his first steps on a journey that would span the heavens and the earth – a journey of courage, conviction and calling. His name was Charles A. Phillips, and though his beginnings were humble, destiny had marked him for a life of service, both to his nation and to his God.
In 1982, Phillips raised his hand and swore the soldier’s oath. He entered the ranks of the U.S. Army as a private, serving with precision and discipline as an electronics calibrator at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and later in Germany.
But his eyes were ever drawn to the skies. In 1985, he returned to Fort Rucker to enter the Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Aviator Course. There, through sweat, study and sheer determination, he earned his wings – first in the nimble OH-58 Kiowa, then in the mighty UH-60 Blackhawk. From the cockpit of those aircraft, he served his nation with valor, his steady hands guiding him through missions across distant lands.
Yet, even as the engines roared and the blades thundered, another call stirred within him – a divine summons to serve as a shepherd to soldiers. Trading the flight helmet for the cross, Phillips answered God’s call and became an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church in 1999.
Phillips’ mission expanded from the skies to the Holy Spirit, from flight lines to front lines of faith. As a chaplain, he became both guardian and guide, standing beside warriors in their darkest hours, reminding them that valor is not only found in battle, but in compassion, faith and endurance.
Today, chaplain Phillips continues his sacred mission as senior pastor of First United Methodist Church on Isle of Palms.
By Mary Coy
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