LEOMINSTER — There will be two screenings of a movie about World War II in the city this weekend, a passion project by a former area resident who spent several years interviewing and documenting veterans from across the state for it.
Charley Valera grew up in Fitchburg and graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1976. After spending more than 20 years as a well-respected realtor in Central Mass, he later purchased and operated the FCA Flight School at Fitchburg Municipal Airport.
In 2015 while researching family records, Valera discovered his late father Cpl. Giovanni ‘John’ Valera’s military discharge papers, commonly known as DD214. Although he had always known his Army veteran father served during World War II, the documents revealed details of his wartime service that had never been discussed with his four sons and by then, his father who was also born and raised in Fitchburg had been gone for nearly 20 years.
“That discovery led me to reflect on how many veterans of the Greatest Generation rarely spoke about their experiences during the war,” Valera relayed.
The result was his best-selling book “My Father’s War: Memories from Our Honored WWII Soldiers,” firsthand accounts from 18 veterans he interviewed representing all branches of the U.S. military who served in both the European and Pacific theaters.
“More than a history book, this is a tribute — to the men who served, the lives they lived, and the stories that might have been lost forever,” information about the book states. “Their mission was to serve. This book ensures they are remembered.”
The book project evolved into an award winning 80-minute documentary of the same name, which features nine of the veterans from the original book sharing personal stories of survival, sacrifice, and their daily life during World War II.
“I hope audiences who read the book or watch the film gain a deeper understanding of the lives their parents and grandparents lived while serving overseas during World War II and perhaps inspire families to ask questions and preserve their own histories before it is too late,” Valera expressed.
“My Father’s War: Memories from Our Honored WWII Soldiers” will be shown at Entertainment Luxury Cinemas in Leominster on Saturday, June 6 at 3:30 p.m. The first showing in a 120-seat theater sold out in 13 days so they added a second showing that will be run simultaneously, which as of press time has about a dozen seats left that can be purchased by visiting eventbrite.com/e/my-fathers-war-d-day-81st-anniversary-special-screening-one-show-only-tickets-1986357331249.
“Veterans, families, friends, and enthusiasts are coming in from Florida, Long Island, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and all parts of Massachusetts,” Valera said of the people gathering for the special occasion. “This has all been way beyond my expectations. I was hoping at least 40 may show up, but the tickets sold out so fast just using my Facebook page.”
Valera and his wife Cheryl relocated to Southwest Florida eight years ago, where a soft showing of the documentary took place earlier this month and a screening of it is happening at Cape Coral’s Marquee Cinemas Coralwood-10 on Flag Day, June 14. Valera said usually only five or 10 people show up for things like this in the community where he lives, but the soft showing on May 15 drew over 60 people.
“It went awesome,” he said. “The emotions went from tense to nervous laughter and not one person left early or even left for the bathrooms, which was a big deal considering their ages were well over 65.”
His efforts on behalf of the veterans have been featured in several Sentinel & Enterprise newspaper stories over the years, including one that ran in December 2018 detailing Valera’s efforts to get four local World War II veterans awarded the Legion of Honour for helping liberate France from the Nazis — one from Methuen, Santo DiSalvo and Fernand Frechette of Leominster, and Charles Sanderson of Lunenburg.
The trailer for the movie can be viewed by visiting vimeo.com/1195416342. Valera has been in talks with film distribution companies but decided to take a break from that to focus on finishing and screening the documentary and he has gotten a lot of feedback from those who have already seen “My Father’s War,” including these moving words from Carol Gauthier of Cape Coral, Florida.
“Very informative of what our fathers must have gone through during World War II,” she said of the film. “My dad returned from the war as an amputee. Lost his leg in a battle in Italy but we never heard him talk about it.”
Marcia Koch of Perham, Minnesota called the movie “deeply moving and inspirational” and her husband Scott Koch said “‘My Father’s War’ makes me appreciate this great country.”
Donn Ingemie, a photographer who went to school with Valera growing up and will be capturing images of the Leominster screening, echoed their sentiments.
“The honesty of these veterans is what makes this documentary unforgettable,” said the Naples, Florida resident.
Valera shared that 110 Grille near the Leominster theater has offered movie attendees a 10% discount following the Saturday showing. Valera he will be doing a book signing the following day, Sunday, June 7, from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at Main Street Gift & Cafe, 40 Main St., Leominster with the rerelease of “My Father’s War: Memories from Our Honored WWII Soldiers,” which includes over 20 new pages of material culled from questions he asked the veterans when they were all together.
It’s no coincidence that the screenings of “My Father’s War” in Leominster coincide with the 81st anniversary of D-Day — the largest seaborne invasion in history that took place on June 6, 1944, the operation that began the liberation of France and the rest of Western Europe and laid the foundations for the Allied victory on the Western Front.
“D-Day holds a special place in the hearts of the WWII veterans. It was a turning point in the war and a moment that validated the sacrifices they made, the hardships they endured, the friends they lost, and the years they spent far from home fighting for the worlds freedom,” said Valera, who writes for many publications on aviation, WWII, real estate, and disaster response efforts and is affiliated with Aerobridge.org, a disaster response team located throughout the U.S.
“Choosing to premiere ‘My Father’s War: Memories from Our Honored WWII Soldiers’ on D-Day is our way of paying tribute to them,” he continued. “It is a heartfelt salute of gratitude and remembrance, a way of saying thank you to the generation that helped preserve true liberty for future generations. There is no more fitting day to share their stories than the anniversary of one of the most significant days in World War II history.”
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