Veterans Portrait Project: A Combat-Wounded Photographer Gives Back

Stacy Pearsall has been taking pictures of members of the Armed Forces since she was 17, when she started as an Air Force photographer.

Wounded during one of three combat tours, Pearsall found herself spending hours in VA waiting rooms, surrounded by others who had served the country and, often, paid a price. She felt compelled to honor and thank them “in the only way she knows how” -- photography.

That was the genesis of the Veterans Portrait Project. She has photographed more than 5,000 men and women who have served their country.

As she does nearly every Memorial Day, Pearsall is spending this weekend taking complimentary portraits of veterans – this time in central Oregon. She lives near Charleston, South Carolina.

“Memorial Day is a reminder that I must continue to live an honorable life,” she says, “to count myself blessed to have survived all I did, and to never take my comrades' sacrifice for granted. They're the true heroes whose memories live on in all of us - not just one day a year, but every day.”

She says not a day goes by that she doesn’t say a prayer for the fallen, including her great-uncle, who was killed in Italy during World War II, and her cousin, who was killed in Vietnam.

“My time in service instilled a deep commitment to my fellow service members and a better appreciation for the life I've been given,” Pearsall said. “The bond between those who served together in war is unbreakable in life, and in death. Every day I'm on my feet is another day I endeavor to give my all.”

Photos: 1. Photographer Stacy Pearsall readies a veteran for a photo shoot. 2. Josephine Okunfolami was in the Army in Kuwait. 3. U.S. Army First Lt. Martin K. Newton, a combat photographer, with his daughter, Bella. 4. Philip George, a Mohawk Native American and Army infantryman who deployed to Afghanistan twice. 5. Army Sgt. Brian Taylor Urruela lost his leg during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He now runs a non-profit organization called VetSports.