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Community Corner

Drawn to Fallen Heroes

Michael Reagan, who has drawn more than 2,500 portraits of military members killed in the Middle East, will be recognized by Washington State Senate for his Fallen Heroes Project.

Edmonds artist Michael Reagan has met a lot of people in his life.

As a professional artist who spent years drawing celebrity portraits, he has encountered hundreds of stars, including Katharine Hepburn, Tom Cruise and Johnny Mathis. Over the span of his career, he has drawn six presidents and a pope.

But one portrait in particular changed Reagan's life. One day, after the television show Evening Magazine ran a piece about him, Reagan received a call from Boise, Idaho. Cherise Johnson, the widow of a Navy corpsman killed in action in Iraq, was requesting a portrait of her deceased husband.

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“Two days after I sent the picture she called me,” Reagan, a former Marine, remembered. "She said to me, ‘In a year I have not slept one entire evening through. Yesterday I pulled out the picture out and looked at my husband’s eyes and completely reconnected with him. I’m calling to thank you for one reason; I slept through the night last night.’”

Reagan said after that call he knew that painting the portraits of fallen soldiers was what he was supposed to be doing. He started the Fallen Heroes Project. Reagan will paint, for free, one portrait per family of soldiers who have died.

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An artist who used to get thousands of dollars to paint portraits, Reagan now dedicates his life to commemorating those who have lost their lives defending our country. Even though he looks into the faces of fallen men and women every day, he couldn’t be happier with what he does.

After seven years and more than 2,550 Fallen Hero portraits, the Washington State Senate will recognize Michael Reagan on Thursday, April 14, in a ceremony at the state’s capitol. Reagan credits his good friend and fellow veteran Jim Adams for the recognition.

“I had talked with Congressman [Jay] Inslee and he published a proclamation in the congressional record,” said Adams. “When Senator Chase found out that Jay Inslee was doing something she wanted to jump in too, so on Thursday Michael is going to be recognized at the State Senate.”

Inslee will also come to the monthly veterans meeting this Friday at the Edmonds Senior Center to read the proclamation and honor Reagan for his work.

The 63-year-old artist insists it is not about him, but about those who have given their lives, and the families they left behind.

“I’m grateful for these awards because it draws attention to the project,” Reagan explained. “This project is not meant to further my portfolio. It is about the Gold Star families [those who have lost a serving family member] and the suffering across the country. What I am trying to do in a non-political way is heal the broken hearts of these families.”

But theirs aren’t the only hearts being healed. While serving in Vietnam from 1967-1968, Reagan experienced the unimaginable realities of war.  

“I came home and wondered why am I home? Why am I here?” he recalled. “I was given an incredible gift just by being able to come home. Seven years ago with that piece I did for Cherise Johnson, I realized why I came home. If the rest of my life should be dedicated to this project, when I die I will be proud.”

To learn more about the Fallen Heroes Project, and to see the portraits, visit www.fallenheroesproject.org

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