FROM OUR PRINTED JULY 2024 EDITION
by Kristen Brissette
Barnstable Broadside
Wayne Soares is an actor, a syndicated columnist at Rally- Point, and a host of the YouTube series The Mess Hall. The part of his life that Soares prides himself on is being a veteran advocate.
Soares is currently filming a Vietnam veterans documentary series called Silent Dignity. “This series presents an extraordinary collection of Vietnam veterans and their spouses each telling their own personal story on how the war affected their families. Many haven’t spoken about the darkness and trauma for over 50 years. Our documentary provides a platform for our Vietnam veterans to assist in bringing a bit of closure to their experiences by talking and sharing and in hopes that other Vietnam veterans will see this, open up, and allow themselves a small portion of vitally important closure. This documentary is about healing,” said Soares.
Soares composed this series because he had several close friends, including his cousin, Bob, who saw combat in Vietnam. “I saw how the war affected them, even 50+ years later, and I wanted to do something to show them appreciation. I had been writing a column called ‘Veterans Spotlight’ which is now nationally syndicated and was storyboarding and came up with the idea. Many of those who served in Vietnam suffered in a conspiracy of silence. Not out of shame but by bitter experience brought on by the hostility of their countrymen. Most Vietnam veterans returned home to emptiness and ridicule where they were left to a nation increasingly uncomfortable with their presence. These Vietnam veterans discovered, astonishingly, that a good portion of their country had rejected them with overwhelming contempt,” expressed Soares.
Being a Falmouth native, Soares filmed the first episode of Silent Dignity on Cape Cod. In the opening scene, actor Armand Assante gives his thoughts on the documentary. Assante shared, “What comes to mind when I watched these men share these very powerful stories is I can almost see the source of the trauma that has never left their lives for almost 60 years now.” This episode can be viewed at www.SilentDignity.us.
“To all of our Vietnam veterans in this great nation, I say to each and every one of you, a long awaited, extremely overdue: Welcome Home, Welcome Home, Welcome Home. God Bless America.” ~Wayne Soares
