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When Joe Pulaski enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, he wanted to maintain B-52 bombers, and he got his wish. As Homeland Center honors its residents and staff veterans for Veterans Day, he spoke for many who cherish their service.

“It made me grow up,” he said. “It helped me with a lot of things. I made rank pretty steady, so my earnings went up regularly. It was a good deal. Everything about it was fine.”

Joe grew up in the Harrisburg suburb of Colonial Park, where he developed a love of the outdoors and a taste for adventure through hunting and fishing with his brothers.

“We had a great time,” he said.

As an Explorer Scout, he attended a weekend encampment at the former Olmsted Air Force Base in Middletown. Staying in the barracks, eating in the chow hall, and riding in a cargo plane made him eager to enlist. He signed up as soon as he graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School in 1966.

The next four years were good ones. Basic training was tolerable. “I’d been to harder Boy Scout camps,” he said. Technical school was “pretty intense.” Days were packed with marching, shining shoes, studying, and assigned jobs.

The experience prepared him for his posting to Minot, North Dakota. He adjusted to the cold winters and was doing what he wanted. He serviced the Air Force’s newest B-52 bombers.

He rose to the rank of E5 — staff sergeant — at 21.

“It was a great decision to do it right out of high school,” he said.

After opting not to reenlist, he got a job servicing vehicles at a Volkswagen dealership in Harrisburg. The business changed hands three times, but Joe stayed put for 19 years.

“The joke was that I went with the building,” he said.

He also reconnected with Avis, whom he’d met at his father’s company picnics over the years. They married one year after he got home and settled into family life.

They had a son and a daughter. Joe shared his passion for the outdoors with his family. When Avis wanted to resume her nursing studies, he supported her; she would retire after 35 years as a registered nurse.

Avis, who still lives at home, supported Joe’s career change after he left the dealership. He learned to service computers and retired from Capital Blue Cross.

He fed his adventurous streak by driving stock cars, sailing up to 35-foot yachts, and raising horses.

“My wife said, ‘You can’t get into anything small,’ and I said, ‘Nope,’” he recalls.

He loved horses, especially the big ones. He joined a circuit of draft horse people who competed at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and marched in parades. He even joined the Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee one year.

His own draft horse team stabled at Landis Valley Museum, Pennsylvania’s living history farm in Lancaster County, where he gave wagon rides and demonstrated horse-powered farming.

His Clydesdale, named Hunter, still boards with a friend. Despite their size, Clydesdales are not big grain eaters. However, they will eat a bale of hay in one session. “A lot of times, they’ll still be looking for it.”

“The big ones are easier to keep than the light horses, I think,” he said.

After arriving in Homeland in December 2022, Joe lived in skilled care for two years. Homeland’s physical therapists “stuck by me constantly” to help him recover from health issues.

When he regained his mobility, he moved to his personal care suite, where he now lifts weights to stay active.

He spends his days attending music programs, enjoying his beloved outdoors in the lush Catherine Elizabeth Meikle Courtyard, and chatting with resident Carl Barna in Homeland’s community garden.

Recently, he spoke with students from The Nativity School of Harrisburg, a nearby boys’ prep school. He talked about his Air Force duty. For Joe, military service opens doors to career and learning opportunities. It was “the best thing I could have done at the time.”

“I would strongly urge any young person unsure of their direction to give it some time,” he said. “You might find out that you like it. The Air Force gave me everything they promised. I kept stepping up, and they gave me a lot of responsibility. It was a good deal for me. I loved being in the service for my country.”

Homeland Center (www.homelandcenter.org) offers levels of care including personal care, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Homeland also provides hospice, home care, home health and palliative care services to serve the diverse and changing needs of families throughout central Pennsylvania. For more information or to arrange a tour, please call 717-221-7900.

Felicia Foster’s reason for working at Homeland Center for 25 years is simple: The residents.

“I love the residents,” she said. “You feel so close to them.”

Foster is a Homeland dietary supervisor, responsible for ensuring that lunch and dinner are served fresh, on time, and delicious.

Her philosophy is to treat residents “as your own grandparents. That’s how I see it, because you never know when somebody is going to take on your grandparents.”

She joined Homeland in March 2005 as a night cook and pantry aide, having previously supervised a fast-food restaurant. As Foster took on other roles in Homeland’s kitchen, she made herself into a “jack-of-all-trades.”

Foster was aware of Homeland long before she walked in the door. Her great-grandmother on her father’s side was a caterer who once worked at Homeland and for the Kunkel family, prominent benefactors of Homeland.

Cooking is “a commonsense thing” to her. She asked questions and learned to cook the Homeland way, especially remembering to stay true to the recipes and make sure that the dishes the residents love taste the same every time they’re served.

“When you’re making a lot of things, everything has to stay consistent,” she said. Residents’ favorite dishes include pasta, soups, and salads.

Around 2015, Foster started developing into a dietary supervisor. She no longer cooks entrees, but she’ll help with desserts. On a recent Wednesday, she taught a cook how to make icing.

“I like to bake cakes and muffins,’’ she said. “I make different desserts, so I can be more creative.”

There have only been a couple of baking missteps.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Foster came to Harrisburg when her stepfather got a job at the New Cumberland Army Depot. Today, the proud mom of two still lives in Harrisburg, within walking distance of Homeland, in a home where she enjoys gardening and doing the fixing up.

Her son is a shoe warehouse supervisor, and her daughter followed Foster’s culinary footsteps, being recently promoted to manager for a caterer serving the state capitol.

At Homeland, the moments Foster loves best come when she visits residents.

“You try to talk to them and make their day better,” she said. “You just get some information to see what their mindset is and maybe change it. They can have a bad day and come into the dining room, and you can change their mindset and make their day better. Some people make my day, and they change me for the better. I get a little laugh. The residents make my day. They really do.”

Homeland Center (www.homelandcenter.org) offers levels of care including personal care, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Homeland also provides hospice, home care, home health and palliative care services to serve the diverse and changing needs of families throughout central Pennsylvania. For more information or to arrange a tour, please call 717-221-7900.

While James and Helen Smith became Homeland Center residents earlier this year, their ties to Homeland go back decades.

Helen met her longtime friend, Homeland resident Loretta Colestock, when she first moved to Harrisburg. James coached Homeland President/CEO Barry Ramper II in Little League.

“Everybody here is very friendly and very helpful,” said Helen.

Helen grew up on a dairy farm in Juniata County. As the only sister among three boys, she enjoyed helping to make meals for the family and developed into a skilled cook, creating Pennsylvania Dutch dishes such as chicken pot pie, and had a particular fondness for making pies.

In high school, Helen played basketball. In those days, girls were considered too dainty for full-court play, so they played only one half of the court, offense or defense.

James grew up in the Rutherford Heights area, between Harrisburg and Hershey, where his father worked as a railcar inspector, and his older brother worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad in the Enola train yards.

He, too, briefly worked in the rail yards as a clerk before taking a position at the former Harrisburg Trust Company in Harrisburg’s Market Square, now occupied by Citizens Bank. It was there that he met Helen, who was a coworker.

The couple married in 1958 and launched into a busy life of work, church, community, and sports. James was active in baseball—as a conference champion in high school, then as a Twilight League player before switching to softball. Initially a shortstop, he moved to the outfield thanks to his speed.

He loved baseball because he was too small for football. A friend who became a first-base coach for the Baltimore Orioles, and whose own father was a baseball scout, told James that he would have gotten a tryout for Major Leage Baseball if he’d been able to hit home runs.

“I was a singles hitter,” he said. “I was a good hitter, but outfielders that don’t hit home runs don’t get tryouts.”

While James was active on ball fields – he played softball until COVID came along – Helen was busy raising their children, three daughters and one son, and volunteering. She was active in Girls Scout troops and her church youth missionary program.

While James was active on ball fields – he played softball until COVID came along – Helen was busy raising their children, three daughters and one son, and volunteering. She was active in Girl Scout troops and her church’s youth missionary program.

Interestingly, James holds a degree that no longer exists – a two-year degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, taught by Wharton professors who traveled to Harrisburg twice weekly before the program was terminated.

After James left banking to work in a poultry business for a time, he returned to banking and served as the president of a couple of small banks that underwent acquisitions. After the last acquisition, he remained as a consultant before retiring.

They enjoyed traveling, including cruises in Alaska, Bermuda, and Nova Scotia. Three of their children remained in the Harrisburg area, but one moved to the Midwest – currently in Minneapolis – and for a time, they would drive there to visit.

Today, the Smiths have 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. They came to Homeland in July 2025, settling into a bright corner suite and staying active. They enjoy the morning exercise classes, play dominoes, and attend music programs.

Homeland, said Helen, is “one of the better choices we had.”

And, James added, “The people are so nice.”

Homeland Center (www.homelandcenter.org) offers levels of care including personal care, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Homeland also provides hospice, home care, home health and palliative care services to serve the diverse and changing needs of families throughout central Pennsylvania. For more information or to arrange a tour, please call 717-221-7900.