Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Location: Top of the Hill Banquet & Conference Center, 1 Constitution Ave NE, Washington DC

Reception: 4:30pm ET

Screening & Conversation: 5:00pm - 6:30pm ET

IN COOPERATION WITH THE PUBLIC BROADCASTING CAUCUS AND SERVICEWOMEN AND WOMEN VETERANS CAUCUS

FEATURING:

The Honorable Mark Amodei (R-NV-2), Co-Chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus

The Honorable Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6), Co-Chair and Founder of the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Caucus

The Honorable Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)

Join us for an evening of powerful storytelling and meaningful dialogue that deepens understanding and support for veterans. Presented by Independent Television Service (ITVS), South Carolina ETV and Public Radio, StoryCorps, and America's Warrior Partnerhsip, in partnership with The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS – part of public media’s commitment to serving communities across the country.

Stories of Service is a panel discussion exploring the realities of military life, the complexities of coming home, and the strength found in shared stories. Featuring moving clips from public media projects—including Independent Lens’ Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen, a poignant StoryCorps segment, and an excerpt from After Action, the acclaimed PBS series hosted by Army veteran Stacy Pearsall—this event brings together veterans, storytellers, and advocates to reflect on service, memory, and healing. Public media is America’s home for storytelling about veterans.

Light refreshments and bites will be provided.

What to Expect:

🎬 Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen – A deeply personal film honoring fallen comrades. (Trailer)

🎙️ A StoryCorps recording – Capturing the voices of service, love, and legacy. (About StoryCorps)

📺 After Action – A revealing conversation from the PBS series that centers veterans’ lived experiences. (Season 2 Preview)

Panelists will include veterans, public media producers, and community leaders engaged in veterans’ advocacy and storytelling.

Jim Lorraine, President & CEO, America's Warrior Partnership (moderator)
Justin Cummins, Manager, Military Voices Initiatives, StoryCorps
Anthony Marquez, Filmmaker, Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen
Manny Marquez, Filmmaker, Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen
Stacy Pearsall, Host, After Action

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, please email rsvp@itvs.org

ABOUT ITVS

Independent Television Service (ITVS) is the largest co-producer of independent documentaries in the U.S. For more than 30 years, the non-profit has funded and partnered with documentary producers to produce and distribute untold stories. ITVS incubates and co-produces these award-winning titles and premieres them on PBS and streaming platforms. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

ABOUT INDEPENDENT LENS

Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award-winning PBS documentary series presented by ITVS with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and additional support from Acton Family Giving, MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Park Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA ETV and Public Radio

South Carolina ETV and Public Radio (SCETV) is the state's public educational broadcasting network. SCETV amplifies South Carolina voices, provides educational experiences and strengthens communities, while working toward creating a stronger, more connected and informed South Carolina. In addition to airing local programs, such as The Know Show, Making It Grow, and This Week in South Carolina, SCETV also presents multiple programs to regional and national audiences, including Books By The River, After Action, Reconnecting Roots, Reel South, Downing of a Flag and Southern Songwriters with Patrick Davis.

ABOUT STORY CORPS

StoryCorps is committed to the idea that everyone has an important story to tell and that everyone’s story matters. Our mission: to help us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all — one story at a time. Since our founding in 2003, we’ve helped nearly 700,000 people across the country have meaningful conversations about their lives. These recordings are collected in the U.S. Library of Congress and in our online archive which is now the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.

And while our stories are broadcast weekly on NPR to over 12 million listeners, StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit, sharing select stories with the public through our podcast, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.

ABOUT AMERICA'S WARRIOR PARTNERSHIP

America's Warrior Partnership aims to partner with communities to prevent veteran suicide by connecting veterans and veteran-serving organizations with resources, services, and partners to support veterans, their families, and caregivers at every stage of their lives to improve veterans' quality of life before a crisis occurs.

Stories of Service: A Public Media Conversation on Veterans’ Issues