Saturday will be the world premiere of a documentary focused on the path of Delaware County Vietnam veterans’ experience in the war and how that transformed their lives.
At 7 p.m. Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Park Amphitheater at 3264 Concord Road in Aston, “9000 Miles to Delco” features nine Vietnam veterans from Delco sharing their experiences.
Vietnam Army veteran Joe McGinn Sr. is featured in “9000 Miles to Delco,” a film sponsored by his son’s employer, Energy Transfer. (COURTESY OF RED SKY PICTURES/ENERGY TRANSFER)
“It’s not a Ken Burns documentary,” Joseph McGinn of Energy Transfer said. “This isn’t about the Tet Offensive or some military history or … should we or should not have gone into Vietnam. It’s really a personal story about men and women and their experience there and also giving that feel of who they are after.”
The 58-minute documentary is directed by Anthony B. Sacco of Red Sky Pictures and narrated by four-time Super Bowl champion Rocky Bleier, who received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.
Energy Transfer sponsored the documentary produced by Red Sky Pictures and Bravo Group.
“The thought was the average Vietnam veteran now is 79 years old,” McGinn said. “So, these guys and gals, we’re losing more and more of the each year. The timing is really important to do it.”
He said that when Energy Transfer learned that The Wall That Heals was coming to Delaware County, they reached out to Bravo Group to create this living history passion project.
“(We) really wanted to make sure that we could tell the story the best way possible,” Will Elliott of Bravo Group said, adding that it was so impressive that Sacco and Red Sky Pictures took this on.
The documentary was filmed over three months in the summer. Elliott said the filming team embedded themselves into the community for a month while shooting.
“I’m so proud of the part we could play and bring this to Delaware County,” Elliott said, adding that they intend to take the film on the festival circuit. “We feel strongly that it’s a powerful documentary. A lot of hard work went into this, and we’d really like to make sure it’s seen by many people.”
Elliott said his grandfather landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and never spoke a word about it. Elliott he learned about what he went through by seeing “Saving Private Ryan.”
“At that point, it’s very much the same as now where then all those guys (World War II veterans) were in their late 70’s, 80s and were dropping one at a time,” Elliott said. “That certainly was in the back of my mind as we were doing this project (that) it’s of the utmost importance to get these stories on record before they’re gone.”
Energy Transfer’s support was an extension of its long-time appreciation for veterans, as seen in work with the Delaware County Veterans Memorial, the Seamen’s Memorial in Marcus Hook and the company’s production of Allied aviation fuel during World War II, McGinn explained.
“It was engaging with people that I felt relationships with,” he said. “Probably one of the hardest sells was my dad. He was very supportive but just saying, ‘Hey, I don’t know if I’m comfortable’ because growing up it wasn’t something we talked about.
“The fact that they all shared their stories was incredible,” McGinn added as he commended the director and his team for weaving the stories nicely and producing fantastic cinematography.
Marsha Tansey Four shares her experience as a U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran in the Vietnam War in the documentary, “9000 Miles to Delco.” (COURTESY OF RED SKY PICTURES/ENERGY TRANSFER)
The veterans featured in the film are: Patrick J. Hughes, Marine Corps veteran; Capt. Ralph Galati, Air Force veteran and former prisoner of war; David J. Humphrey, president of Vietnam Veterans of America Delaware County Chapter 67; Sgt. Joseph Daly, Marine Corps veteran and retired Springfield police chief; Marsha Tansey Four, Army Nurse Corps veteran; and Army veterans Bruce “Rudy” Egan, Thomas A. Clay, Joe McGinn Sr. andDonald Tuohey.
The documentary screenings coincide with the visit of The Wall That Heals, the replica of Washington’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial on display at the Aston Municipal Complex through Sunday.
“This isn’t a war film or political film, this is a film about people,” McGinn said. “It’s about Delaware County, as well. It’s almost as if Delaware County is the unnamed character in the movie.”
Elliott agreed.
“It’s the way that that year shaped them,” he said. “And then, they took home how that year shaped them and applied it to the rest of their lives and applied it to the way they then became stewards of the places they lived.”
McGinn added this sentiment: “We want people to know and appreciate that generation and we want them to be moved. Anybody who watches this will laugh, which is hard to believe … they’ll think, it’ll make everybody think and it’ll 100% make everybody cry.”
There are two other screenings scheduled: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 10 and 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 11, both at the Media Theatre, 104 E. State St.
A fourth screening is being planned for November in Marcus Hook.
“9000 Miles to Delco” is a 58-minute Red Sky documentary that features the experience of Vietnam veterans from Delaware County. (COURTESY OF RED SKY PICTURES/ENERGY TRANSFER)