The Story of Two-Eyed George by Robert Mizic

Jack Merchant

Jack Merchant is a former Army combat medic who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970. He spent most of his time serving with the Montagnard forces. In civilian life, Jack served as a mental health nurse specializing in forensic nursing. He enjoys telling stories of his Vietnam experience to those who want to hear.

Robert Mizic

Robert Mizic served 4 years in the Army, from 1989-1993. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, from August 1990-April 1991. In October 1991, he was sent to serve in Panama from 91-93 with the 5/87th Infantry Battalion.

Nila Porter

Nila Porter is a combat veteran of the United States Army. She served as a fuel truck driver in Iraq during Desert Storm and deployed to Germany, Somalia and Korea. Nila has been married to Bill Porter from South Park for 28 years and has 3 daughters. Nila has proven to be a successful top producing realtor with Berkshire Hathaway and has earned several awards. The most recent award is Presidents Circle for 2020 and 2021. Her personal background in figure body building and red belt in Tang-Soo Do karate, has given her strength, endurance and determination to be a great negotiator. Nila is fluent in Spanish, has an associates degree in marketing with a background in psychology.

Carissa Snedden

Carissa Snedden is a Veteran who served from 2009 to 2014 in the United States Air Force. She currently works as the Female & Minority Veteran Coordinator at Washington Blvd. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Sociology from Western Carolina University in North Carolina. She has been engaged with the veteran community since college and has held positions in multiple veteran organizations. She is constantly seeking new ways to uplift and empower her brothers and sisters in arms. She is an unstoppable optimist whose passion for humanity is rivaled only by her appreciation of beauty.

Carl Truss

Carl Truss is a Vietnam War veteran and the executive producer, director, cameraman, and editor of The Veterans Channel, hosted by Diane Richard – seen on YouTube, PCTV and VTVN.TV.

Mark Voelker

Mark Voelker retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years and seven days of service in 2009. He is still trying to figure out how they got the extra week out of him! Following two forays (2004, 2005) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Mark knew that helping other combat veterans find their way back to lives of meaning was necessary work, and he has been honored to be a Team Leader for the week-long programs at Semper Fi Odyssey in Boswell, PA, since early 2012. Through SFO, Mark was introduced to yoga and meditation. In 2018 he became a certified yoga instructor and is nearing completion of a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification. For the past thirteen summers, Mark flew a helicopter for the U.S. Forest Service fighting fires throughout the western states. He currently trains pilots in the art and science of fighting wildfires from the air while keeping his feet on the ground in Johnstown, PA, as the race director for the Path of the Flood Historic Races which commemorates the 1889 Johnstown Flood. Most importantly, Mark and his wife, Laurie, continue to ride the waves of their lives with grace, tending to the nest emptied by their two grown sons, Orion and Rigel.

Aryanna Wagner

In 2001, at the age of 18 and answering the call of her nation, Aryanna Wagner enlisted with the United States Army just weeks after the terror attacks of 9/11 and served with the XVIII Airborne Corp on the front-lines during Operation Iraqi.​ Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, an MBA, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Aryanna is now pursuing her Ph.D. in Community Engagement at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. Currently, Aryanna is the Director in the Office of Veterans Services for the University of Pittsburgh, Executive Director of the nonprofit RISE: Veterans, and she is LUMA Certified Human-Centered Design Practitioner. Aryanna is a Defense Council member of the Truman National Security Project, an Oxfam Sisters on the Planet Ambassador, and belongs to many civic organizations to include the NAACP, VFW, The Mission Continues, and others.