Today a friend of mine and a great photographer Robert Faubert has “challenged” me for a “5-Day Black & White challenge” to which I’m honored to respond.
I was thinking as to what picture to start my 5-day marathon with and it only seemed fit, that I’d start it with this portrait.

Several years back (on May 9th of 2003 to be exact) my wife and I were invited to attend celebration of Veterans’ Day as it’s done by “Russian” community. I’ve put that word in quotes, because of all-American generalization of the region once called USSR, but this post is not about that…
So the two of us were sitting at the table surrounded by veterans of WWII – young pups, surrounded by “older generation”, by people, who actually have been there, who overcame, who fought that horrible war and came back victorious, came back alive. They were sitting at that table and singing songs of those years, toasting for the Victory and for everybody, who brought that victory home. The third toаst, traditionally, was for friends and family, who didn’t leave to see the day, for many, who’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice for our happiness. During that particular toast I’ve cut a glimpse of this man. With face of grief and unbearable heartache he was sitting there unaware of surroundings.
In a minute after me taking this picture he was (again) talking to his neighbors and even smiling sometimes, but this moment, portrayed on this photograph, will stay with me for a long time and this picture, no matter how “imperfect” it is – is still one of my favorite photo-journalistic moments I’ve cut to date.