Fallen Soldier Sketchbook Fundraiser

Late last year, my friend and fellow comic geek, Sergeant Mark Schweikert of the Phoenix PD, emailed to see if I wanted to join in on an Artbook to remember the sacrifice made by a fellow police officer. Tom Rabjohn was serving in the National Guard in Afghanistan. He had finished disarming one bomb, and then noticed a second. He cleared out the rest of the troops, but it went off before he could disarm it. 

All proceeds from the Artbook will go to help his family. The book will come out later this year, and the above is a low res JPEG of my piece. It's set at the end of WWII, in the short time after Captain America has fallen off the flying bomb that Bucky is disarming.

I'll let Mark's original email tell the rest of the story:

On October 3, 2009, one of my officers who worked for me was killed in Afghanistan.  Tom Rabjohn was an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team Leader who shielded two other soldiers from harm and absorbed the full blast of an Improvised Explosive Device.

I have been working with his family and I am coordinating a few fundraiser events to help fund his 3 pre-teen age daughters’ college fund.

One such fundraiser item is a memorial sketchbook and art auction.

I was at the Baltimore Comic Con a few weeks ago and spoke to some artists who are donating a piece for the fundraiser.  I wish to limit the number of items in the sketchbook to 15 to 20.  I would like to have a biography page of the artist who created the item and have the artist discuss the inspiration behind the work. I plan on auctioning the original art at the San Diego Comic Con and ebay.

The artists who have already volunteered are Joe Kubert, Tim Sale, Barry Kitson, Brian Stelfreeze and Stuart Immonen. [Steve Rude, Jill Thompson, Herb Trimpe, and Ryan Ottley have since volunteered artwork]  I was wondering if you had the time to donate a piece to the sketchbook.  A 100% of the proceeds will be going to his kids.  You are the first person I have solicited by email.  I have gotten a good foundation together and I hope you can help honor his sacrifice with drawing for the sketchbook.  I attached a few of the links:

KTVK: Friends, family honor fallen soldier Thomas Rabjohn 


KTVK: Funeral held for police officer killed in Afghanistan





YouTube: Staff Sergeant Thomas Rabjohn Memorial Photos



YouTube: A Hero Returns Home: Remembering Phoenix Police Officer Thomas Rabjohn

Please let me know what you think,

Mark