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# “Pass the Flag”: A Salute to American Heroes
- URL: https://capitolcommunicator.com/pass-the-flag-a-salute-to-american-heroes/
- Published: 2021-06-07T00:29:09.000Z
- Updated: 2021-06-07T10:25:09.000Z
- Author: Cade Martin
- Tags: People, #wp-top-right-sponsored, #Import 2026-10-08 18:51

**By** [**Cade Martin**](http://cademartinphoto.com/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)

**It always feels important** when doing a portrait project to do right by my subjects, to capture the stories and layers of character revealed in the angles and lines of a face. I love the honest relationship between lens and subject. All of this felt like both pressure and possibility when presented with the opportunity to make portraits of D-Day Veterans with **Frank Gilliam** and team at [Elevation Advertising](https://elevationadvertising.com/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) for National D-Day Memorial Foundation’s 75th anniversary “Pass the Flag” campaign.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/16/5016dd29-aeff-4565-a68b-cdbb78bc58e6/content/images/2026/10/02_Henry_Gurney35212.jpg)

One the morning of the project, I left the hotel and discovered my car had a dead battery. I got a jump, drove to the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, unloaded my gear and drove back through the mountains to a local garage in search of a new battery. I’m no stranger to the area, my parents grew up in the Virginia mountains, and I know the tight knit nature of the community there. When I pulled up to the garage, the tall, and wholly unamused, owner walked out to ask what I wanted – and why I was there. I said that I was going to photograph D-Day Veterans in Bedford. His demeanor changed instantly and he said quietly “They don’t make them like that anymore.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/16/5016dd29-aeff-4565-a68b-cdbb78bc58e6/content/images/2026/10/03_Herbert_Bill_Sisk_35646.jpg)

The definition of a hero is complicated, situational and often personal. But here in the Virginia mountains, a place with an ingrained community history of grief and solemn pride tied to their neighbors and family members – heroes – who were lost or changed on the beaches of Normandy, the definition is straightforward. That the national D-Day Memorial is located in tiny Bedford, VA, is testament to the reverence and commitment to preserving their legacy.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/50/16/5016dd29-aeff-4565-a68b-cdbb78bc58e6/content/images/2026/10/04_Caroll_Reves_35834.jpg)

Being reminded of that deep tie to this place, and knowing the power of a portrait, I drove back to our location ready to honor and photograph the D-Day Veterans at this memorial. It was also a chance for me to slow down and consider the definition of a hero, at a time when the flashiest, loudest superheroes dominate our box office landscape. This project gave me the opportunity to be present in the company of these heroes, and it was a privilege.

(Shown in photos, top to bottom, are **Curtis Kennedy, Henry Gurney, Herbert “Bill” Sisk** and **Caroll Reeve**)

Cade Martin is a Capitol Communicator sponsor.