Belmont Village Senior Living communities in San Diego recently commissioned nationally recognized photographer Thomas Sanders to capture the images and words of veterans from all ranks and branches of military service.

On Aug. 21-24, Sanders photographed more than 50 San Diego veterans residing in three Belmont Village Senior Living communities, including one in La Jolla. During these photo shoots, Sanders captured the veterans’ compelling stories and created iconic portraits of the residents with personal memorabilia from their war experiences. The treasured photos will become a part of a permanent gallery in the communities to honor the residents who have served.

The 39-year-old Sanders, a professor at a Georgia art college in his day job, started his veterans’ profiling project when he was age 21. He was later approached by Belmont Village, a nationwide group of senior communities, which told him, “We want to send you to all our communities in the country to photograph World War II vets.”

For Belmont Village, utilizing Sanders’ services over the years was an opportunity to celebrate and honor the service of the hundreds of veterans who reside in their communities nationwide. Sanders’ national tour of Belmont Village communities began in 2015 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.

Noting his goal initially was to get a photographic book on senior veterans published, Sanders started his portraiture project, focusing on photos of vets with their memorabilia and quotes sharing their military experiences. He said one vet he interviewed related that he’d once “visited Hitler’s home and taken a key out of his bedroom. I photographed him putting that key in his mouth, symbolically devouring Hitler.”

Sanders is perhaps best known for his award-winning book, “The Last Good War: The Faces and Voices of WWII.”

This August, Sanders photographed 10 San Diego WWII vets, about 60 overall. He noted a couple of them have gone on to become well-known for their accomplishments after their military service.

“One of them was nominated for a Nobel Prize,” Sanders noted adding, “Another guy I photographed was an Israeli WWII veteran who’d got shot in the head and had this crazy story about getting hurt and surviving, and then going on to do well in life.”

Sanders pointed out that the whole idea behind his veterans’ project is to “create a greater appreciation for our vets. We need to be reminded of what our vets did for us. And that it’s appropriate, and important, that they and their stories be historically preserved.”

Sanders’ completed photographs of senior vets will now grace a wall of honor in Belmont Village La Jolla at 3880 Nobel Drive.