Veterans’ Stories Told In ‘Silent Strength’

On August 9, 1945, aboard an A26 Invader 8,000 feet in the air, Staff Sergeant Tom Morris of the Army Air Corps watched a thunderhead flash blue above the city of Nagasaki, Japan. As he details his exclusive story in a video interview, he reveals that he had no idea at the time that he was witnessing the detonation of an atomic bomb—the bomb that led to Japan’s surrender in World War II.

This is just one of the many accounts from Long Island veterans in the video series “Silent Strength.”

Bill Donahue, one of the men behind the series, has been an active volunteer member of Honor Flight Long Island since 2010. Twice a year, spring and fall, the nonprofit organization escorts veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the National World War II Memorial. After each flight, some of the veterans are interviewed on camera. Moving forward, Mr. Donahue hopes the clips and full-length interviews will be permanently preserved in the National Archives. His experience interviewing veterans through Honor Flight has inspired him to develop a short documentary film on Long Island veterans and their stories.

“Our hope is that the film brings attention to the interviews at the National Archives and people hear the first-person accounts of the soldiers,” Mr. Donahue said.

Honor Flight Long Island has been running trips since 2007 and has escorted 1,250 veterans over the years.

“I’ve done 11 flights myself and I’ve decided to put as many of their stories on digital media,” Mr. Donahue said. “My friends and I have interviewed about 17 people.”

“Silent Strength” began in 2014 to bring viewers fascinating accounts from veterans who served European and Pacific tours of duty during World War II.

Mr. Donahue, a financial advisor for American Portfolios Advisors, created “Silent Strength” in an attempt to get these personal accounts of veterans out to the public. He said that when he first approached his CEO at American Portfolios, Lon Dobler, about putting these veteran stories on digital media, he eagerly agreed, as Mr. Dobler is a strong supporter of veterans. At American Portfolio’s private studio in Holbrook, Mr. Donahue and other co-workers interview two to three veterans after each Honor Flight.

“We primarily use the studio for advisors to put content on the web, but it can be used for philanthropic use as well. Lon believes very much in corporate responsibility,” Mr. Donahue said.

Honor Flight Long Island is currently planning its next trip this spring. The organization operates solely on donations from local and regional organizations across Long Island.

Mr. Donahue, a Westhampton resident, described how a large part of the organization is rooted on the East End of Long Island.

“A big part of it is Southampton Town Hall and Virginia Bennett. Were grateful to have her, she’s awesome and does a lot of the back work,” Mr. Donahue said.

He noted that Virginia Bennett, the community services director for Southampton Town, is the secretary for the organization. Alongside Ms. Bennett is the organization’s president, Bill Jones, a former Southampton Town director of human services.

Honor Flight Long Island’s trips take off from MacArthur Airport in Islip and land in Washington, D.C. The one-day trip gives these veterans a chance to see the memorial for the war they served during and to attend the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery.

After a long day of exploring memorials, the veterans and their escorts fly back to Long Island.

“What the veterans don’t know is that when we get off the plane in Islip, there is a huge reception committee of about 1,000 people,” Mr. Donahue said. “Their family members are there, their grandkids are there, and it’s just such a great moment because the veterans—I mean, they don’t know this is coming, a lot of them break out in tears. It really is the moment you are shooting for.”

Volunteering for Honor Flight Long Island and pushing the wheelchairs of these veterans is an extremely special experience, Mr. Donahue explained. With the help of his longtime friend Bob Pulick, a documentarian, Mr. Donahue hopes to finish the documentary and have it shown at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October.

To view the “Silent Strength” video series, visit vimeo.com/apfs.