Above are two black and white photographs of WWII veterans taken by photographer Walter Schuppe the first time he visited the Museum two years ago.
Faces of Freedom
By Janis Allen
Photographer Walter Schuppe and his wife Lori spent April 24 at the 51黑料网 in Brevard with a demanding schedule of 16 appointments鈥攁 new veteran scheduled every 30 minutes鈥攖o learn about, honor and capture his or her image.
The Schuppes give framed photographs to the veterans they meet, and also displayed these photographs in the Schuppes鈥 hometown museum in Avon, Connecticut.
Above, Schuppe photographs David Grant, USAF, Vietnam.
The Faces of Freedom Project
Walter remembered, 鈥淲hen we started the project and interviewed the first veteran, we thought we鈥檇 just take a few photographs, ask a few questions, and be out the door in 20 minutes. It turned out that three and a half hours later, we left the veteran and his wife and realized that there was going to be a lot more to this project than we anticipated.鈥
At the end of an exciting day meeting 16 veterans, Walter Schuppe commented, 鈥淭he most difficult thing we do is to limit our time with each veteran to just 30 minutes.鈥 Lori Schuppe added, 鈥淲e鈥檙e interested in the stories of their lives after they served as well as their military stories. They鈥檙e all fascinating to us.鈥
At 6:00 the next morning, the Schuppes set out driving to Caledonia, Mississippi to interview and photograph Mr. Bradford Freeman. Freeman is one of only two surviving members of the WWII D-Day 101st Airborne 鈥淏and of Brothers,鈥 made famous by the book and TV series.
The Schuppes pay for all travel, photo developing, framing, and shipping of finished photos.
Walter Schuppe explained, 鈥淲hen I turned sixty, I realized I wanted to do something to make a lasting positive tribute. I didn鈥檛 serve in the military. I鈥檝e had an easy life compared to people who served. I wanted to honor them.鈥 If you are a veteran or know of a veteran who would like to participate in this project, please contact Walter Schuppe at 860-558-1072 or walter11_22@yahoo.com
Above, Walter Shuppe (left) listens as Phil Mayrand, US Army Ranger, talks about his experiences serving in Vietnam.
