US vet’s wife scans the obits for his fallen brothers — so he can quietly leave a tribute outside their families’ doors
His wife finds names from obituaries, helps him identify the veterans, and he draws their portraits to deliver to their families.
Once retired, Michael Hart, an ex-Air Force veteran, sought a meaningful way to stay active. The gentleman picked up his paintbrushes again to rekindle his childhood hobby. Hart, however, didn't draw nature or turn to abstract paintings. Instead, he started painting portraits of fallen military veterans and quietly delivered them to the family while keeping his identity anonymous, according to a K8 news report on February 26.
Hart's idea is simple; his wife finds names from obituaries, helps him identify the veterans, and he draws their portraits to deliver to their families. "I just hope that when they see that, they see everything about their loved one," he confessed. Among those who received Hart's painting is Michael Taylor, son of Wilburn Darrell Taylor, who served at Pearl Harbor. He was so touched by the gift that he displayed it at his father's funeral and said he would have been overwhelmed to witness the honor if he were alive. "He would have been very proud of that. To see a painting with him, and each one of these is a bit personalized," Taylor confessed.
Hart, who grew up in Knobel, Arkansas, was always inclined toward art. In fact, he was in the fifth standard when he impressed his teacher by painting all his classmates. As time passed, he, somehow, found himself drifting apart from art. Hart joined the Air Force and served in Thailand twice, as well as in New Mexico, Hawaii, Colorado, and Blytheville, before retiring. However, once he completed his professional commitments, Hart returned to painting. While he loved gifting families of his fallen brothers, he didn't think it was important to reveal his identity for the longest time.
"I never thought about that. I’m just doing this for the person who’s lying up front. And if the rest of them, if it does something for them — that’s fantastic," Hart explained. The ex-military serviceman also made a portrait of Deryl Thomas Carter, a carpenter, developer, and member of the National Guard, and dropped it at his son, Brian Carter's, doorstep. "We didn’t know anything about it… it was a complete surprise; he's just doing it out of the goodness of his heart," Brian said. Until recently, Hart had successfully hidden his identity from the families, but he met the recipients of his paintings the day he was recognized as the Gr8 Acts of Kindness winner — an experience he now describes as the biggest "surprise" of his life.
Photographs or memorial paintings help the grieving families cope with the unimaginable loss. For instance, when a baby dies before or shortly after birth, hospitals sometimes take their photos to give to their parents. To determine if "postmortem memento photography" really helps, researchers Cybele Blood and Joanne Cacciatore surveyed 104 parents who had lost their child. In the end, the study revealed that 92 out of 93 parents who had photos of their babies were glad to have them. Moreover, 9 out of 11 who did not have photos wished they had taken them. This goes to show how valuable it is to have a memento of a loved one — especially if it comes as a sweet surprise like Hart's.
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