Portraits of Veterans Leave Lasting Legacy

Green Hills Tom with Veteran

For Thomas Sanders, photo shoots are routine. But this day is different.

At Belmont Village Senior Living, 15 World War II veterans sat patiently and waited for their turn.

Sanders doesn’t ask them to smile.

“When I photograph the veterans, I usually ask them to think about their war experiences as a I photograph them,” he said.

“Sometimes very sad faces, sometimes they’re happy, but I want the viewers to see the emotions of memories on veterans’ faces,” Sanders added.

Captions of the veterans’ memories come with the photos.

“Feeling their service was necessary, calling it the experience of a lifetime, and agreeing they wouldn’t give a nickel to do it again,” Sanders said.

For the veterans, the chance for a photo like this won’t be available for long.

“Generally, I’ll come out to a community, photograph vets, come back a month later and we’ll lose two veterans in that time period,” Sanders said.

This is a sure way to never forget them.

Click here to see the interview by WSMV.