Michael Reagan, USMC, and 10,000 portraits to honor Fallen Heroes
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
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Jim Armstrong, Chair of Shoreline Veterans Association, Michael Reagan and Larry Fischer with the portrait of Vincent Santaniello. Photo by Doug Cerretti |
Story by Doug Cerretti
Heroes Café Shoreline had the privilege to honor Michael G. Reagan, the Artist of the Fallen Heroes Project, on the occasion of his 10,000 portraits on January 14, 2025.
For over 20 years, Michael has drawn portraits for Gold Star families to honor their loved ones who were lost due to war at no cost to the families.
Michael talked about the effect these portraits had on their families. How did this happen that Michael undertook this momentous journey?
The origin can be traced to the battlefield in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Vietnam. On March 28, 1968, the Marines came under rocket attack and a fellow Marine, Vincent Santaniello was mortally wounded.
Michael rushed to him and held Vincent in his arms so he wasn’t alone, as Corpsmen “Doc’s” John Nunn and Tony Milazzo worked to stop the bleeding.
Vincent turned his head and said, “Mike, I just want to go home,” and Vincent then took his last breath. Those words, “Mike, I just want to go home,” were seared into Michael’s head and heart; he sees Vincent and hears those words every day.
After being Honorably Discharged, Michael when to art school. He was already a budding artist; in Vietnam he drew portraits of his comrades on the cardboard from C-ration boxes. Some of those drawings were all that came home.
After graduating, Michael accepted a job with the Seattle School District and eventually with the University of Washington (Huskies) for the next 30 years.
His official title when he retired was The Director of Trademarks and Licensing. His unofficial title was “Artist for the Huskies” as pronounced by Don James, the head football coach for the Huskies.
Michael’s reputation as a portrait artist grew as he has drawn portraits of many notable people including seven Presidents, Bob Hope, Katherine and Audrey Hepburn, Red Skelton, Ingrid Bergman, Toby Keith, Edgar Martinez, Tom Selleck and Harrison Ford to name a few.
Many times, Michael would have these celebrities sign blank boards where he would redraw their portraits and auction them off for charity raising over 10 million dollars. Clearly Michael had a very lucrative career as a portrait artist.
But those words, “Mike, I just want to go home,” never left him.
Then at the turn of the century, Michael received a request from a Gold Star Wife from Idaho. She had seen an interview on NBC about what Mike had done with his portrait artist career and thought that maybe this Marine combat veteran would draw a portrait of her husband, Navy Corpsman Michael Johnson who in 2003 was killed in action in Iraq.
Two days after she received the portrait, she called Michael to thank him and to tell him the effect the portrait had on her. She related that in the year since his death, she had not been able to sleep an entire night. When she received his portrait, she was able to talk to him, talk to his eyes and that night she was able to sleep the entire night for the first time in a year.
“Mike I just want to go home.” Those words had been percolating in Michael for decades. Maybe, Michael thought, in my way I could help bring these Fallen Heroes home and “draw some life after death,” as Michael said.
He then made a fateful decision; he abandoned his portrait artist career and devoted full time to drawing portraits for Gold Star families at no cost to them. And now after over 20 years, Michael has achieved this remarkable number, 10,000 portraits completed.
Here are additional examples of Michael’s work. He drew the portrait of Michael Carey holding his infant daughter Mia, who he never saw as he was overseas when she was born. Then he died before he could get home. His daughter will now have a picture of her with her dad.
Alfred Turgeon, a B-24 crewman who perished in an air raid on August 1, 1943. His remains were not identified until 78 years later. See the article here.
Justin Fitch, who died from wounds years after his nine tours in Iraq and Afghanistan (see article) and Bryan Black who was killed in action in war in Niger, that few had ever heard about (see article).
On occasion, Michael will draw a portrait of veterans who died of natural causes because of their extraordinary service such as Joe Mehelich whose WW2 battles started in North Africa and finished when he met the Russians at the River Elbe at the end of the war and every major campaign in between. Gravesite Memorial held for WWII Veteran and Shoreline resident Joseph Mehelich.
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Michael Reagan wearing the Citizens Before Self Honor Medal Photo by Doug Cerretti |
In 2015 Michael received the Citizens Before Self Honor Medal from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.
The award is given to “ordinary” citizens who perform acts of courage and service by vote of members of the Foundation. Membership into the Foundation requires a Congressional Medal of Honor.
Michael was asked how long will he draw these portraits? He responds, “Until the day before someone draws mine.”
2 comments:
What an inspiring story about Mr Reagan. Thank for your military combat service and for your extraordinary service in remembering fallen heroes. I am a fellow Vietnam War veteran, and served there in the U.S. Navy in 1972
Heartwarming. Beautiful. What a wonderful gift to veterans' families.
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