The perimeter of the elegant ballroom was filled with about thirty easels, each holding a beautifully framed, hand-drawn portrait. Being an art lover, I walked over to one of the easels for a closer look.

The work was exquisite.

Drawn only in pencil, the portraits were so detailed, they looked like photographs. Actually, they looked better than photographs.

I wandered from easel to easel until I had examined each drawing.

As I looked at each picture, I felt a lump forming in my throat. You see, these were not ordinary drawings; they were portraits of fallen soldiers.

I was in Milwaukee Wisconsin, attending a conference of families who have lost loved ones in the war on terror. I was not there because I myself had lost someone, but in my capacity as a writer. Nevertheless, the drawings struck a chord with me. My son is a soldier and has already completed one tour of duty in Iraq. As I talked to some of the parents of those soldiers represented in that ballroom I felt their pain. I also sensed the pride these families felt for their loved ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

The portraits were stunning, but that's not what made them unique.

Every one of these pictures was drawn by an artist named Michael Reagan (no relation to Ronald). Mr. Reagan does these drawings free of charge for the families of the fallen.

So far, he has done 2,400.

What an incredible gift to these families.

Of course, no portrait can ever replace a loved one lost in war. But these amazing drawings honor those who have given their lives for us, and they give the families something to remember their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers by.

If you’d like to view some of these drawings, visit Mr. Reagan’s Website: www.fallenheroesproject.org

They are drawings to remember.

--James H. (Jim) Pence