Veterans at Vineland

For Veteran’s Day, I’m honored to share a diverse set of images of veterans who reside at The NJ Veterans Home At Vineland. I was hired to photograph these extraordinary individuals for the November issue of New Jersey Monthly Magazine, which is dedicated to Veterans Day. This home was founded in 1899 and has housed vets from the War of 1812.

“In all of New Jersey, there may be no other patch of earth that has been home to veterans of more American wars than the 26 green and placid acres alongside the railroad tracks a few blocks north of downtown Vineland. Since 1899, it has been the site of the various incarnations of a state facility familiarly known as the Old Soldiers Home. When it opened, it had 46 residents, most of them veterans of the Civil War. Today, it has 296 residents, most of whom served during World War II, but others in Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm.¹” – Kevin Coyne for New Jersey Monthly

Due to limited access and logistics we were contained to the theater room at the facility along with a military assigned media escort. We used a simple grey background to create separation while allowing the carpet and flag(s) that were already in the room  to provide context without overwhelming the subjects. The background and background stands remain part of the image showing a set within an environment – both a traditional and contemporary approach.

I’m sure the piece — story, photos, layout — will touch a lot of our readers. Bravo to all involved.

– Ken Schlager, Editor-in-Chief

1. Coyne, Kevin. “Veterans Remember the Best Years of Their Lives.” NJ Monthly, 8 Nov. 2016, https://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/people/veterans-remember-best-years-of-lives.