USA Warrior Stories, a nonprofit based in East Hampton, will honor three generations of veterans here on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Southampton Arts Center.
The organization is dedicated to recording and sharing the stories of veterans through online videos, to help them connect with one another and to help the public “better understand their sacrifices for our freedom,” according to its website. There will be screenings of three short films from the organization’s archive, dedicated to each of the veterans honored.
The youngest of the group, Angelique Williams of Wainscott, served in the Navy from 1997 to 2014. She “experienced difficulties” during her service, and hopes that sharing her story will encourage other female veterans to speak out.
Another, Ed German, known as a radio host on WLIW 88.3 out of Southampton, served in the Marines in Vietnam from 1967 to 1970, beginning when he was just 17. He and three other Marines were wounded by a sniper while on patrol in 1969, and he noted that he was never asked about his time in Vietnam after returning to “the real world.” He eventually recounted his experiences in a 2013 memoir, “Deep Down in Brooklyn.”
Martin Sylvester of Florida and Springs, who served in the Army from 1943 to 1945, was the first veteran interviewed for the Warrior Stories archive. He was wounded and taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge. In his own memoir, “The War Years,” he wrote that he weighed 80 pounds when he was finally liberated. He and his son, Paul Sylvester, traveled to Normandy last year to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The screenings will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Ms. Williams, Mr. German, and Mr. Sylvester’s son. Matt Hindra and Nick Kraus, the co-founders of USA Warrior Stories, will moderate.
