Wenatchee Filmmakers Honor Green Beret Uncle in New Documentary

A new documentary pays loving tribute to Vic and Diane Underwood, a couple whose devotion survived the horrors of the Vietnam War.

The 25-minute documentary, screening for free on Saturday at Wenatchee's BPOE Ballroom, is called Uncle Vic. The titular hero is a Green Beret and recipient of two Purple Hearts.

All too many Vietnam veterans lived out their remaining days in psychological agony. Underwood was not one of them. Post-combat, he led a miraculously normal and fulfilling life, says Uncle Vic co-director Jess Pierson Pappas. (She happens to be Underwood's great niece, hence the title.)

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"I think part of the reason he hasn't struggled is the support he's had from my great aunt," Pierson Pappas says. "It really wasn't part of his story. He was one of the lucky ones."

Along with husband Dan, Pierson Pappas runs a Wenatchee-based film production company called P2X Studio. Clients include Wellness Place and the Wenatchee Downtown Association.

But Uncle Vic was very much a passion project, shot over the course of a single weekend (editing took much longer). It was born out of simple curiosity on the part of Pierson Pappas and brother Seth Pierson.

"We talked about doing this for a while," Pierson Pappas says. "As a family, we started working about a year ago; we did a long three-day weekend, just filming with Uncle Vic. We set out to learn more about my uncle, but we really learned more about the love story between him and my great aunt Diane."

Saturday's screening is partly a showcase for local veterans' groups.

"The event kind of blossomed into something different than we originally set out to bring to the community," Pierson Pappas says. "They'll be eight or nine organizations onsite, with tables and information about what they do."

"To kick off the evening, each organization will give a three-minute presentation about their mission."

The screening starts at 4 p.m. Registration is encouraged but not required; click here to register.