Thank You, Veterans!

SouthBMore.com would like to thank all of the individuals who have served and continue to serve our great country. Everything we enjoy in South Baltimore would not be possible without these brave Americans.

Below is a compilation of SouthBMore.com articles that feature veterans and active duty service members. We are very appreciative of them, as well as all of the other veterans in our community and nation.

Vanoni was born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and learned the art of pizza baking at one of the country’s first pizzerias in his hometown. Vanoni joined the United States Navy after high school and would bake pizzas to lift the spirit of his fellow service members on submarines and at bases. When deployed to Afghanistan, his team built him a brick oven on their base and every Friday became “pizza day.”

A member of the Maryland Army National Guard who recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Odoms, 25, is a former Baltimore City 911 operator who is also known for his work as a songwriter, actor and photographer.

The Baltimore native, who attended St. Frances Academy, has made multiple appearances on HBO’s “The Wire” and worked both on and off the stage with many international and domestic performing artists. Impressively, he has also sung at several large-scale military events throughout the world.

Romeo Santos, a Pigtown native and current Morrell Park resident, was named a finalist for ESPN’s 2013 Fan Hall of Fame. He is an avid Orioles fan, active philanthropist, and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. SouthBMore.com talked with Santos about his love for the game and the Fan Hall of Fame (which also includes Baltimore’s own Captain Dee-Fense!)

“Dan and I started homebrewing with a simple kit we bought off of eBay for like $100 a little more than four years ago when I moved back to town from the navy. That year we probably brewed at least one beer every weekend. It was great. As time went on we would expand our collection of brewing gadgets and equipment – it took over my apartment at the time!” – Nick Fertig, Navy Veteran

Years later in the Fall of 2011, Major Zinno returned from his second Army National Guard tour in Iraq. After thirteen years of service, including two tours in Iraq and a couple brief trips to Afghanistan, Zinno came back to his South Federal Hill home in his adopted hometown of Baltimore. Zinno also returned to his job at CBS Radio in Baltimore where he talks sports for 1057 The Fan. He also calls basketball games on ESPN 1300 for Loyola University, the school he graduated from in 1999.

Editor’s Note: Zinno has since taken a job at 92.9 The Game in Atlanta.