By Richard Sribnick

The “cast” having breakfast at Blackstone’s

Early one Wednesday morning last year, I accepted a friend’s invitation to have breakfast at Blackstone’s Café with a group of 15 older gentlemen. Their ages range from 80 to 100; and they have gathered weekly for breakfast for over 20 years.  Many are combat veterans, who served our country in multiple wars.

Sharing the meal with these men proved to be delightful; and subsequently, whenever I was in town on Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m., I made a point to attend again. I always found our time together both enjoyable and enlightening. I was surprised at how energetic they were and was humored by their teasing and poking fun.  There were multiple opinions on a variety of topics, but everyone was always allowed to speak his mind.

After attending several times, I became more comfortable participating in the banter myself and subsequently learned more details about some of them.  On one occasion, I spoke with “Skeet” Van Harten (92 years old) concerning some of his harrowing experiences as a Rifle Company Commander in Vietnam and was captivated by what he said.  I later learned he had received a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart. On another occasion, I spoke with Guy McSweeney (95 years old), who I learned had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for courageous actions as a pilot during the Korean War. I listened intently as he minimized what he had done to receive such a prestigious honor. At that moment, I suddenly recognized just how special were these men with whom I sat, abruptly announcing to all of them and to no one in particular, “I want you all to know something I just realized; I am having breakfast with heroes and am truly honored to be here with you.”  Of course, being who they are, they laughed it off and continued eating.  Later, while walking to my car, an idea unexpectedly occurred to me.  Further exploring the lives of these impressive men, who had lived so long and experienced so much, could become the basis for an intriguing documentary film, which could provide lessons for us all.

Producers Raymond Smith and Richard Sribnick

Having been an active member of the Beaufort Film Society for many years and attending many film festivals, I had seen many short documentaries and had met some excellent filmmakers. One in particular stood out, Raymond Smith, who has produced a number of short films, including, “Voices from Vietnam,” which I had seen and admired at a previous festival.  When I contacted him and shared some of my thoughts, he was intrigued by the idea.  After meeting together, he agreed to produce and direct our film.  His son, Andy, a film maker and cinematographer, soon agreed to become involved as well. We soon realized that in addition to their military experiences, there were other intriguing topics to explore.  Some questions we wanted to ask included:

  • What brings these men together week after week for so many years? Despite having aged and now confronting physical challenges, which make it difficult for some of them to attend, they continue to gather. Why?
  • Remarkable changes have occurred during their long lives. How do they perceive these changes, and what insights have they learned?
  • What advice might they give the young men they once were if they stood before them today?
  • What about the prejudice and discrimination against others they witnessed during their early years? How do they perceive the dramatic social changes which have occurred, and what remains to be done?

We decided to try to finish the film by the submission deadline for the 2025 Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF) even though that deadline was only 6 months away! Nonetheless, Ray and Andy were able to complete and condense 15 hours of interviews to create a 30-minute documentary, which is not only beautifully done but explores all the topics we had considered. The men of the breakfast group proved to be as interesting and as insightful as we had suspected, and the stories they share are fascinating.

Our film, “Breakfast in Beaufort – Journeys through Time” was indeed ready for submission to BIFF by the October deadline; and we were later overjoyed when it was selected to be shown at this year’s festival!  It is scheduled for its initial screening on Saturday, February 22nd at 9:30 AM at USCB Center for the ARTS. We hope you join us to celebrate these remarkable individuals and hear some of the wisdom they have learned from a life well lived.