ABOVE: Local Joseph Kreiss holds his new book and photo project, ‘A Portrait of a Veteran’, which was published and printed this summer.

FAIRMONT — Joseph Kreiss, a photojournalist and now author located in Truman, has completed his nine-year photo and written project book, highlighting the stories and legacies of 86 veterans throughout Martin and Emmett County. The book is called ‘A Portrait of a Veteran: Photo Project’ and dives into the accounts of veterans who sacrificed their daily lives to defend the nation.

Kreiss began his work as a photographer in high school, gradually expanding his amount of skills to that of writing and journalism. He often photographs community agendas, opera house performances, and serves as a freelance writer for the Truman Tribune. He stated he picked up on the additional talents because he didn’t want someone else (such as a conventional journalist) describing his photos to him.

“It sounds cliché. I was sitting on my front porch during the Fourth of July,” Kreiss said of what what encouraged him to begin a book that focused on veteran narratives.

He began working on it officially in 2015 when he put out advertisements to gather veterans on board with his plan. He made pleas on social media and visited regular meetings at Heritage Acres until he gathered more than 80 veterans to conduct multiple interviews with.

“I had a mini-studio and got photos and a table with a notebook. I planned to get as much background as [the veterans] were willing to reveal,” Kreiss said.

On the front green cover of Kreiss’ book, Dennis ‘Denny’ Theesfield (born 1945) sits in his wheelchair before a large American flag. The book is dedicated to Theesfield as he was Kreiss’ first veteran interviewee. Theesfield grew up as a farmhand and later served in Vietnam in the 1960s. Three months into his deployment, Theesfield injured himself and another by stepping onto a landmine, rendering him completely paralyzed from the waist down. Theesfield returned home after a medical discharge and farmed while wheelchair-bound until he passed away in 2017.

Kreiss published his writings himself and with the help of the printing company, Blurb, he was able to print more than 100 paperback copies of his book and distribute them to the individuals and families he photographed and interviewed. After the book was completed, Kreiss said he had a profound feeling of considerable relief. He stated he unfortunately lost a lot of momentum for his project when the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread in 2020. However, after restrictions were lifted, Kreiss returned to his project and attended veteran picnics at Gomsrud Park, the Red Rock Center for the Arts and other locations.

“The paper rolls off the press, and you see your work,” Kreiss said.

A Portrait of a Veteran has, so far, seen remarkable feedback from the veterans and military families who own a copy.

“They’re beyond overjoyed. Their reaction is like they can’t believe their family member is in a book,” Kreiss said.

For those who are interested in acquiring a copy of the book, he encourages supporters to reach out to him through his Facebook page, Instagram page and email. Kreiss commented he does not currently own a stock of printed books (as of yet), so he will need to have more published should the books be in high demand by the community.

The book aims to provoke feelings of gratitude in readers and pride in veterans while reading the stories of those who sacrificed many attributes of daily life to fight for their country in the armed forces. Kreiss’ book covers a broad range of veteran stories from different battles including the Vietnam War, World War II, the Korean War, and many other historical events the said veterans recalled.

Kreiss expressed he would like to arrange an official author signing and publicity event regarding the book he created and the veteran stories he captivates through his multiple writings and photos. Additionally, he mentioned the possibility of a second volume, as he regrets that he couldn’t include every veteran in the two counties. However, Kreiss is currently working on another personal and significant project, therefore progress regarding a sequel has not been made yet.

The first-time author extended his gratitude to the generous amount of sponsors that helped him complete this passion project and ‘under-ride’ the printing of his books. His sponsors include Kim Kreiss from EXIT Realty: Great Plains, Culligan Water of Southern Minnesota, Hawkins Chevrolet, United Hospital District, and Fairmont Ford–all businesses based in Martin County.

“If it hadn’t been for the sponsors, it wouldn’t have been done,” Kreiss said with gratitude. “They believed in me when I told them, ‘this is what it’s going look like.'”

Kreiss encourages featured veterans and military families to get in touch with him to get their paperback copies of the ‘A Portrait of A Veteran’ selection.