His Last Goodbye by Terry Redlin

In this, the final painting in "An American Portrait," the neighborhood is aglow with lights as families prepare for the upcoming holiday season. Dad has just finished hanging the homecoming banner. He has been busy all day getting ready for his son's return. Mom has the tree decorated and lit; and from the house wafts the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, his favorite. From the window, she sees a car slowly pull up to the front walk. As she opens the door, expecting to embrace her son, she is horrified to see a representative from the Navy and a Chaplain walking up the snowy steps. At this moment, our hearts sink as we realize it is not her son, but the devastating news that he has been killed in war. A very old Buddy drops the teddy. He knows his friend is never coming home. "His Last Goodbye" immerses us into the pain of this American family's ultimate loss. This series is a tribute to the memory of Terry Redlin's brother-in-law and good friend Charles Langenfeld. Charles, a Navy Hospital Corpman, was killed in the Siege of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War in 1968. Like many Americans, Terry, his wife, Helene, and her family live forever with the pain of the ultimate loss.