Walter Schuppe (pictured), formerly of Pacific Western Bank, started Faces of Freedom in 2019 to express gratitude to and honor the sacrifices and service of U.S. Military veterans and their families. The project uses black and white portraits and oral histories, as told by each veteran, to help connect a face with a personal story.

Walter Schuppe had been SVP/managing director Special Assets Group at Pacific Western Bank and retired in early 2024 to tackle home projects and other tasks that were put off. His career spans working in public accounting, middle-market lending at Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, and Fleet Bank, general manager for a metal stamping company, asset-based lending with FleetCapital, and asset-based and cash flow lending for CapitalSource, which ultimately merged with Pacific Western Bank and then Bank of California.

These days Schuppe keeps busy running Faces of Freedom and serving as a board member and treasurer of SEALKIDS, a charity that raises money to help children with diagnosed learning disabilities who are children of U.S. Navy SEALs. The charity is in the process of expanding to all special forces. He assists the executive director with the financials, forecasting and strategic planning. Schuppe also volunteers his time teaching financial analysis for the Veteran Entrepreneurial Training & Resource Network (VETRN), a group sponsored by the SBA, for veterans who have a business and decide that they would like to get more training and a mini-MBA. VETRN was founded and is run by Lee Goldberg who Walter knew from his banking days.

Schuppe recalled his 60th birthday as a turning point that spurred him to begin Faces of Freedom.

“When I turned 60, it was the only birthday that I ever really stopped and thought a lot of time has transpired and I have been lucky,” he said. “I never had to make any significant the military. I wondered what I could do to show a little gratitude. Photography is a hobby of mine, and I thought narrowly and modestly, and felt I could take photographs of WWII veterans. I had an interest in World War II, anyway.”

Getting Started
Schuppe decided to seek out World War II veterans and photograph them as a gift. Photos were, and still are, printed in black and white, which Schuppe said looks more dramatic, and everybody receives an 8x10 photo that is matted and framed with a label on it including the details of their time of service, at no charge.

Schuppe recalled being in North Carolina for work, and his wife joined to visit for a vacation afterwards. They decided to drive to Raleigh to meet the first veteran, William Simpson, who earned three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and three Battle Stars.

“I figured I’d snap a couple of photos, chat with him, and then we’d be on our way. Three and a half hours later I had to say to him, ‘I could sit here all day and listen to your stories, but we really need to get on the road.’ I ran out to the car and sat there with my phone typing in everything I could remember and thought ‘Maybe there’s more to this than I realize. Maybe it’s a photo and an interview.’ 

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