BALTIMORE — On Veterans Day, local service members used their voices in a different kind of mission. Veterans from every branch of the U.S. military gathered at War Memorial Plaza as part of the national “Vets Say No ” movement — a coordinated day of action in cities across the country.

The message was unified: veterans say deploying National Guard troops into American cities, including Baltimore, sends the wrong message and violates the principles they swore to defend.

Army veteran Tim Eppers, who served in Iraq and grew up in Baltimore, said the focus should be on trust and opportunity, not troop presence.

“Every time we send soldiers into our own neighborhoods, we’re not solving problems — we’re sending a message that we don’t trust our people. Baltimore doesn’t need occupation. It

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