Charley Valera

Charley Valera is an author and documentary filmmaker dedicated to preserving the firsthand stories of America's veterans. His book, My Father's War: Memories from Our Honored WWII Soldiers, grew from interviews he began conducting with World War II veterans after realizing how little his own father had spoken about his wartime experiences.

Those interviews later became the award-winning documentary My Father's War: Memories from Our Honored WWII Soldiers, featuring nine WWII veterans telling their stories in their own words. The film has played to sold-out audiences in Massachusetts and Florida.

Valera is also the author of A Military Mustang: The Extraordinary Life of Captain John W. Arens and continues to preserve previously recorded veteran interviews for future film and historical projects.

A commercial-rated pilot and longtime aviation professional, Valera also works with AeroBridge, a nonprofit aviation organization supporting disaster-response efforts.