Belmont Village Senior Living in Coral Gables is honoring its military veterans by sharing their stories through a national photography project.
Powerful images capture service and sacrifice
Dillard Borden, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1961 to 1964 during the Vietnam War, reflected on his experiences.
“I think of a lot of different things, from what I was doing, where I lived, the people I met, the people I lost in Vietnam,” Borden said.
Born and raised in Miami, Borden said the Army shaped who he is today.
“It taught me all along the way if you did the best you could, you would continue to grow and be given more and more responsibility,” Borden said. “It helped me mature, it helped me to grow, it helped me believe in myself.”
Veterans’ memories captured for posterity
On Thursday, Borden joined other military veterans at Belmont Village for a photography session.
“I want you to go into the memories of your wartime,” instructed Thomas Sanders, a nationally recognized photographer.
For nearly 20 years, Sanders has partnered with Belmont Village locations across the country to capture veterans as they tell their stories of service.
“I hope that when people see these portraits of the veterans hanging on the wall that it changes their perspective of the veterans and creates a greater sense of appreciation and that the veterans get the opportunity to tell their story as well,” Sanders said.
Project is personal for Sanders
“My grandfather was in WWII and his brother died in the Battle of the Bulge, so I always like to think it’s kind of like bringing my grandfather back alive a little bit in hearing these veterans’ stories,” he said.
Marine veteran Frost Walker also recalled his time during the Vietnam War.
“The day after the battalion landed in Da Nang, my sergeant and my executive officer were killed by a land mine which exploded beneath their Jeep, other friends of mine soon followed,” Walker said.
Walker said he has grown more emotional about his military experiences with age.
“I’ve had friends who aren’t alive and cant be sentimental and I’m trying to be sentimental about them which is pretty easy frankly for me,” he said.
The edited photographs highlight each veteran’s service and sacrifice. Belmont Village plans to unveil the portraits closer to Veterans Day.
