Joel The Video Guy on Veterans Day

I had the honor of filming and editing the testimonies of three amazing veterans that were presented at the Veterans Day Celebration on November 10th at the Northfield Middle School. Northfield’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon ceremony highlighted the many women who have served in our country’s military.

Taking on this project felt daunting yet exciting. This new challenge of telling the stories of 3 veterans was not an easy task. Not only is the public going to see these, but I wanted to show their stories in an honoring way.

Every kind of testimonial or documentary shoot I do can be a learning experience. I naively thought that every person that enlists is automatically put into a combat zone; Bethany Maclellan, Tammy Hayes, and Kimberly Runningen taught me that there is more to the military. There are many roles that one can serve in the military that are not combat-related. Tammy was a nurse while Kimberly was an accountant. These are seemingly normal civilian jobs, but the military needs them as well. Think of the military as its own city. A city can’t consist of entirely soldiers; it needs bankers, cooks, mailmen, etc.

These women showed me that the military is a team and requires every kind of talent. People typically think of men when they think of those who’ve served our country. Even the women I interviewed thought the same. It has certainly been a learning experience for me when it comes to what is possible in the service. My hope is that young women have this same learning experience that I had when considering their options for their futures.

Picture of me with Kimberly Runningen (left) and Tammy Hayes (right). Both were filmed for the testimony videos.

Frame from Bethany Maclellan’s testimony video. She was unable to attend the ceremony.

If you would like to learn more about Northfield’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon and donate to them, check out their website at – northfieldyellowribbon.org