Confederate General Robert E. Lee once wrote in a letter to his wife, “What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world.”
Times of war are often filled with disappointment for service members and their families. These days, with less time at home and more time deployed, these families cling to memories of happier times. These memories come in many forms, one of the most tangible being photographs.
When a loved one leaves or returns home after a deployment, many family members forget to take photos, as they are lost in the emotion of the moment. You can never relive that last hug or the tears of joy that come with being reunited. Local photographers Monica and Sonny Allshouse of Family Affair Photography, in connection with Operation: Love ReUnited, want to capture those moments so they will never be forgotten. Operation: Love ReUnited connects local photographers near your base to families of deployed service members, allowing them to capture on film the grasp of a child’s first hug or the tear of relief from a mother being able to hold her son again.
A father and daughter share a kiss.
Monica and Sonny decided to get involved with Operation: Love ReUnited while their two sons were serving in the military.
“I knew how much they valued photographs from home. I understand how disconnected they can feel from their families while on deployment. And as a mother, I felt the need to have photographs of my sons while they were deployed as it helped to bridge the distance and time,” said Monica.
Family Affair Photography began in 2004. Monica got the idea after being asked to be the photographer for her niece’s wedding. That is when she discovered that photography was more than just a hobby. “We approach photography as our own worst critic, always looking for ways to improve our products and services. I can’t say I’ll ever see a day when we won’t consider ourselves students of the art,” said Monica.
Even though Monica and Sonny are working as volunteers for Operation: Love ReUnited, they take the same amount of pride in these sessions as they do for paid wedding or portrait sittings.
“First and foremost, we care about our customers in a way we would hope to be cared for in our own lives. We want to capture the personalities, the feel of an event without being a distraction or focal point,” said Monica.
Her favorite part of the photography business is spending time with people who are living some of the happiest moments of their lives. “Oftentimes I find myself in tears of joy at a military homecoming when a father/mother is getting that first embrace from their child, or that first kiss from a loved one. It’s being able to preserve for the customer the memories and milestones of their lives.”
For more information on Operation: Love ReUnited visit www.oplove.org or email oplove@oplove.org. Operation: Love ReUnited’s headquarters are located in Denver, Colorado, but they have participating photographers all over the country. To learn more about Family Affair Photography visit www.familyaffairphotography.com, email Info@familyaffairphotography.com, or call 253-970-5689.
Experience a Photo Session through Operation: Love ReUnited
Operation: Love ReUnited sessions are for deploying, deployed and returning service members and their families. Participants are allowed to take part in up to two sessions a year. Many partakers have one session while their soldier is home or while he/she is deployed, and the second at the time of the service member’s arrival home, when you are reunited as a family. The package includes a 4×6 album of 24 images. Family Affair Photography also offers a CD with all of the images and printing rights for only $25.00. The album will be sent to the soldier by the photographer, at no cost to the family. In addition, all session fees will be waived. Sessions are also available for service members who are single and/or without children. Operation: Love ReUnited understands that deployments are difficult for parents and siblings as well.
