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22 www.army.mil/publications picture looks like my son,” Eva Jo said. Scott, as his parents refer to him, was an Army medic for 21 years and loved his job. “He was a medic, a combat medic. That’s what he was doing when he got killed,” Gene explained. Scott was touring the region training Iraqi med- ics. “He was killed making one of the tours.” Scott, who loved sports and frequently requested equipment for the children in areas he was stationed, started his career with a bang. On his first assignment in Ger- many, Scott was undergoing on-the- job training when a young private got stuck in the breach of a gun and had his leg torn off, Gene recalled. Scott’s supervisor panicked, and Scott jumped in and took care of the private. He saved his life. “Scott’s commanding officer wrote a letter telling us all about it and what a fine young lad he was. So apparently I’m not the only one that thinks he was a pretty good man.” The Stephens family finds great comfort in the portrait of their son. The picture hangs near the kitchen; Gene and Eva Jo pass it on a daily basis. “This picture is so wonderful. Every time I look at it, it’s like he’s looking at me, telling me ‘get with it mom,’ like he always did,” Eva Jo laughed. Having the picture is “kind of like having him here,” Gene added. Reagan spends time getting to know every face that crosses his desk, paying careful attention to family descriptions and anecdotes. He believes that each portrait has some sort of message—he doesn’t know what it is, but he knows when a family opens the package and sees the portrait, they will know. “A lot of this is very spiritual to me, and beyond my understanding—but I don’t need to understand,” he said. Reagan explained that love drives him to continue the project, and gets him through the more difficult emotional aspects involved in the process. “I need these people to understand that I appreciate them,” Reagan em- phasized. “I love and respect this loss and I will never forget” the sacrifice of the deceased, he said. The care he takes in creating a portrait and delivering it to a family is evident to most recipi- ents. “Mr. Reagan wrote us the nicest letter that came with this picture, (es- pecially) not knowing my son, and he seems like a very great guy. He seems to care about other people, and that’s hard to find much anymore,” Eva Jo said. Reagan hopes that this project will help heal the families of all those lost, as well as the country as a whole. “The country has a broken heart— it’s not just the families,” he explained. He estimates that 95 percent of the fallen from the war in Iraq could cross his desk eventually, and he’ll be able to finally send them home. v If you would like to learn more about Michael Reagan and the Fallen Heroes Project please visit: www.fallenheroesproject.org. Michael, I returned from a trip just over a week ago and your package was waiting here for me. I instantly opened it and was so taken back by the detail in the photo of my son, Sgt. Joshua Brennan. I want to thank you so much for your gift to our family. I thank God for your gifts that you have shared with all of the families of the fallen. I will have it professionally framed and proudly display it in our home as a memory of my son Josh. W e have had so many gifts come our way lately. Last week my family and I were invited to the White House along with a few other families of fallen Soldiers to meet with President Bush before he left office. I can’t help but be so blessed with so many gifts that have come our way since the loss of our son. Thank you again and God bless you for the work that you do. Michael Brennan Letters from families: Michael, We want to thank you so much for our picture of Sgt. 1st Class John Scott Stephens, our beloved son. Your picture looks just like him and gives us so much comfort. We still miss him every day and wish so much to hug him. He was a wonderful son, man and Soldier. He was a dedicated medic for 21 years and loved by all who knew him. What you are doing for the families that lost a loved one can’t be described in words. Thank you Michael with all of our love! Love, Gene & Eva Jo Stephens