Videographers from PA Media Group out of Mechanicsburg visited SCI Mercer's Veterans Service Unit (VSU) to film and take photos for their upcoming documentary, "100 Years of Heroes." The final product will be aired on PennLive on Veterans Day this November. This project will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day (Veterans Day) and highlight stories as told by Pennsylvania veterans.
As part of the documentary, this project will feature DOC's Statewide Veterans Coordinator Ryan Yoder and his work with incarcerated veterans in the PA Department of Corrections. Yoder selected Mercer's VSU to highlight the successful veterans program at this facility.
Salim Michel Makhlouf, Emmy Award-winning director at PA Media Group, and Mark Pynes, videographer/photographer, took photos and video of Yoder speaking to the veterans. Also interviewed as part of the project was Aaron Diaz, VSU counselor and Army veteran.
Several inmate veterans were interviewed as well. They were asked what the veterans program means to them, how the program has helped them adapt while incarcerated, and how it will help them to prepare for reentry to their communities upon release.
The VSU's Honor Guard presented and retired the colors.
Makhlouf stated that the documentary includes interviews with veterans from all over Pennsylvania, including a couple of veterans in their 90's.
Watch for the final product on Veterans Day on
PennLive.com.