The Faces Of Freedom Project Stops In Brevard – The Transylvania Times

Connecticut banker Walter Schuppe and his wife, Lori Schuppe, a nurse, are on a mission to photograph, listen to and learn the stories of as many veterans as they can. Their purpose is to honor these veterans' service to America. Their project is called "The Faces of Freedom."

Honoring Veterans and Preserving Their Stories

The Schuppes spent April 24 at the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas in Brevard with a demanding schedule of 16 appointments-a new veteran scheduled every 30 minutes-to learn about, honor and capture his or her image. Veterans participating were Ray McCall (Desert Storm), J.D. Bolt (Korean War), Elizabeth Tilston (WWII), Dorothy Managan (WWII), Ed Cottrell (WWII), Bill Lack (Korean War), Tom Greenway (Korean War), Duke Woodhull (Cold War and Vietnam War), Mike DiRocco (Vietnam War), David Grant (Vietnam War), Jug Gerard (Vietnam War), Phil Mayrand (Vietnam War), Phil Seymour (Vietnam War), Howard Thiele (Vietnam War), Ray Pavlik (Vietnam War), and David Morrow (Vietnam War). Each of their portraits will be displayed in the museum when completed.

Partnership with the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas

Walter Schuppe is well-known to eight World War II veterans from Transylvania and Henderson counties. On his first trip here in 2018, he made photographs of WWII veterans Tom McCrary, Pooch Pace, George Sarros, Harold Wellington, Bill Siniard, Verl Luzena, James Brush and Larry Hoffman. These professionally matted and framed photos are proudly displayed in the museum today. The Schuppes also gave framed photographs to the veterans who posed for them, as well as displaying their photographs in the Schuppes' hometown museum in Avon, Conn.

At 6 a.m. the next morning, the Schuppes set out driving to Caledonia, Miss., to interview and photograph Bradford Freeman. Freeman is one of only two surviving members of the WWII D-Day 101st Airborne Paratroops "Band of Brothers," made famous by the book and TV series.

The "Faces of Freedom" Project

At the end of a very busy day, Walter Schuppe said, "The most difficult thing we do is to limit our time with each veteran to just 30 minutes."

Lori Schuppe added, "We're interested in the stories of their lives after they served as well as their military stories. They're all fascinating to us."

Walter recalled, "When we started the project and interviewed the first veteran, we thought we'd 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."

The Schuppes do this travel, photo developing, framing, and shipping of finished photos at their own expense.

Walter said, "When I turned 60, I realized I wanted to do something to make a lasting positive tribute. I didn't serve in the military. I've had an easy life compared to people who served. I wanted to honor them."

If you are a veteran or know of a veteran who would like to participate in this project, contact Walter Schuppe at (860) 558-1072 or walter11_ [emailprotected]

Additional Veterans Honored in Print

WWII P-47 Fighter Pilot Ed Cottrell shared the story his harrowing landing after his engine was shot out by Nazi fire.

All the veterans photographed are included in books sold at the museum. The book "Welcome Home, Brother: Memoirs of Vietnam War Veterans" by Michel Robertson profiles 31 Vietnam War veterans. "We Shall Come Home Victorious," stories of WWII veterans by Janis Allen shares the stories of 36 WWII veterans. A book of Korean War veterans' stories is now being collected by Michael McCarthy for publication. McCarthy invites any veteran who served in-country Korea between 1950 and 1953 to contact him at [emailprotected] um.net or (828) 507-3171, as he adds more Korean War veterans' stories to his book.

The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas is located at 21 E. Main St. beside the courthouse in Brevard. Admission is free. Open hours are Thursday Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information or to schedule a group tour, call (828) 884-2141. Visit the website at http://www.theveteransmuseum.org.

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The Faces Of Freedom Project Stops In Brevard - The Transylvania Times