Our Goals

for this project are to honor the memory of Vietnam veteran Richard J. Flaherty and to raise awareness about todays rising homeless crisis. Statistics show that at least 11% of the adult homeless population are made up of our veterans.

 

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More About The Giant Killer: 

Richard Flaherty is believed to be the smallest man to ever volunteer for military service (4ft 9in and 97 lbs). He overcame relentless adversity due to his size and rose to the rank of Captain in the Special Forces as a Green Beret. In his two tours in Vietnam/Thailand he was the recipient of the Silver star, 2 bronze stars, and 2 purple hearts. 

 

Richard for a multitude of reasons including PTSD eventually became homeless and tragically died anonymously on the streets of Miami in a hit and run accident - But the story doesn't end there.

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About film maker & writer David Yuzuk

David Yuzuk was a 20-year veteran of the Aventura Police Department and worked as uniformed road patrolman, undercover officer, and detective. David was awarded officer of the month on two separate occasions by his department and was recognized as officer of the month by the Dade County Chief’s Association.

 

In 2014, David co- wrote and co-produced his first feature film, "Amidst the Devils Wings” which received international distribution with Indican Pictures. In 2017, he wrote and produced the documentary, "The Giant Killer” based on the life of Richard J. Flaherty. The documentary was awarded The People’s Choice Award in the Silicon Beach Film Festival, Best Film in the UK monthly Film Festival, and was an official selection in the Rome International Film Festival and the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. David still lives in Miami and travels around the country working on various creative projects. 

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Writer/Editor and associate producer, Neil L. Yuzuk

In 2008, After 22 years, Neil retired as a New York City Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Counselor for the SPARK Program at Canarsie and Franklin K. Lane High Schools.

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"I became involved in the project early on helping to write, edit, research, photograph, make travel arrangements . . . whatever else needed to be done. Most importantly, I learned about the plight of

the homeless veterans and their high rate of suicide. Hopefully "The Giant Killer" will shine a light on these issues. I am very proud to have worked on this project as we tried to uncover the riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma—the incredible life of Richard J. Flaherty." 

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Neil resides in Los Angeles CA where he continues to work on his writing and producing projects. 

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