Collaboration Brings Veterans' Stories To New Audience

A performance this weekend is capturing the stories of veterans. It's based on conversations with those who served in World War II through the Vietnam War.

It began with Cyndi Briggs who starting interviewing veterans to learn more about her own grandfather's military experience.

This weekend in Fayetteville, some of the stories from these interviews are being presented as staged readings. It's a project called “I Was There,” and it's a collaboration between Briggs and Wake Forest University Theatre Professor Brook Davis.

At a past performance, actor Philip Powell told the tale of Everett Smith who was part of the 30th Infantry Division in World War II.

“But I was right there, in the middle of that field, running, falling, the Germans shooting at us," he tells the audience. "Those four American planes appeared, bombing and machine-gunning the tank. That gave us the protection we needed to make it to the woods, [and] safety.”

All of Briggs' conversations with veterans are now archived online in partnership with the New Winston Museum.