Veterans Portrait Project (pink)

Some are smiling. Others gaze at a distant point. All are veterans. The Veterans Portrait Project began while Stacy Pearsall recovered from combat injuries sustained in Iraq. Spending hours in VA waiting rooms surrounded by veterans from every generation and branch of service, Pearsall was compelled to honor and thank them in the only way she knows how, photography. The Veterans Portrait Project totals 3,000 veterans and grows daily.

Pearsall's mission continues off the battlefield with the Veterans Portrait Project (VPP). Stacy began the VPP in Charleston, SC, while recovering from her combat injuries. While she sat for hours in waiting rooms, she couldn’t help but to notice the men and women around her. She reached out to hear the stories of veterans from every branch of service, generation and conflict and felt inspired to bring her camera and take their portraits, leading to the project that now fills the walls of a number of VA Hospitals across the United States.

Today, Stacy continues her project and has photographed over a 3,000 veterans from coast to coast. What started as Stacy’s path to recovery and healing has now grown into her personal mission to honor and thank her brothers and sisters for their service in the best way she knows how: photography.