When Nelsey Leverette agreed to create a documentary featuring local veterans as part of Reunion Troy’s Alabama Bicentennial celebration, she knew it would be a meaningful venture.

But she had no idea of the personal impact until now.

“Both of my grandfathers served in the military,” Leverette said. “I was honored to be chosen to create a documentary that would be a meaningful representation of those who served their country,” Leverette said. “Hearing the stories of local veterans from five wars: World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and Afghanistan, gave me a better understanding of and appreciation for what our veterans went through. Some of the stories were heartbreaking. Creating the documentary was eye-opening experience and made a great impact on me. It was a tremendous honor for me to be surrounded by people who have given so much for our country. I will be forever grateful.”

Viewings of Leverette’s documentary, “Voices of Our Veterans” will be at 10:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Friday at the Troy Public Library. The viewings are free and open to the public.

In June, Diana Lee, Reunion Troy committee member, approached Leverette with the idea to visually capture the stories of local veterans in a documentary that would celebrate Alabama’s Bicentennial and also preserve the stories of often-unsung heroes.

The documentary is about 1 hour and 20 minutes in length and includes stories, photographs and memorabilia from the contributing veterans, Kay Conner, K.C. Cole, Rena Elder, Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Veryl Lassiter, Jack Norton, Jim O’Neal, Randy Ross, Charles Saunders, Judy Tillery, Greg Wright, Homer Wright and Scherr Qualls.