One veteran expressed solidarity with the servicemembers who took to the skies to execute the mission.
"The pressure is intense," said Cmdr. Jim Morris of VFW 10630. "The impact is huge."
Officials are calling the mission "Midnight Hammer." The Pentagon stated that it's the largest B-2 operation in U.S. history, having taken weeks of planning. The bomber aircraft came from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Saturday.
General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Pentagon will be proactive in protecting American troops in the region. Still, one veteran opened up about the seriousness of those types of missions, for both servicemembers and their families.
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"When you get the order to deploy, there's really little time to think," Morris said. "You're preparing to make sure your will is in place, that your family has everything they need while you're gone. And then you're making sure your troops are doing the same with their families. So, having anything other than making sure everyone is going to be alright while you're gone, it doesn't really give you enough time to think about anything else."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the airstrikes did not target Iranian troops or civilians when they were launched at the three nuclear sites. But the Pentagon said it is assessing the damage and that American troops are ready to react if Iranian forces retaliate.
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Grilley Mitchell of the Cumberland County Veterans Council said he stands behind President Trump's decision to launch the airstrikes in Iran.
"They've already made the calculated risk, and I believe it's a major decision, and I believe they're making a smart decision about which direction we should move and how--and the pace at which we should go at," Mitchell said.
The veteran says there have been concerns over Iran's nuclear capabilities for years and that America's airstrikes are the biggest effort to deter Iran's nuclear capabilities yet.
However, another veteran, CW4 (RET) Jack Pines, expressed concern over how President Trump went about authorizing the airstrikes--noting that some congress members were only notified after the fact. Pines also voiced concern over the repercussions this could have for American interests in the Middle East--especially for troops like the ones targeted Monday in Qatar.
"Well, they was already vulnerable," Pines said. "But, what did we do--prior to as part of the planning of the operation--what did we do to negate that vulnerability, knowing what will happen in the aftermath of this operation?" he said.
Mitchell said that when he was a sergeant, he sometimes didn't tell his loved ones about his deployments, and also said that he put on a brave face for the service members that reported to him to reduce anxiety.
"I never really talked about it with my loved ones. I would leave, and they wouldn't know where I was going sometimes," Mitchell said. "So the decision I would always make was--my biggest concern was the soldiers. I was making sure that my soldiers know, 'Hey, be afraid, be scared, but do not be afraid to the point where it hinders you from doing your job.'"
Pines recognized that U.S. troops in the Middle East could potentially face more attacks, but said the troops are prepared for what may come their way.
"All the spouses have to realize that we're a well-trained force, and I think that we can handle any situation that arises. So really, they just have to keep faith in the fact that their soldiers was trained to handle things just like this," Pine said.