Portrait Presentation Ceremony Set in Hudson Valley for Fallen Guardsman

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TUXEDO PARK, NY (01/21/2010)(readMedia)-- A painted portrait of the late of 1st Lt. Louis Allen of Milford, PA will be presented to his wife at a special ceremony at the George F. Baker Tuxedo High School in Tuxedo Park, NY this Friday evening.

WHO: Mrs. Barbara Allen and members of the Allen family, the Tuxedo High School, public officials, friends and former comrades of the late Lt. Louis Allen and a Color Guard, Honor Guard and representatives of the New York Army National Guard

WHAT: Portrait presentation ceremony and celebration of the life of dedicated public service of the late 1st Lt. Louis Allen, New York Army National Guard and former teacher at the Tuxedo High School.

WHEN: 7 p.m., Friday, January 22nd

WHERE: George F. Baker Tuxedo High School, 1 Tornado Drive, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987-4413

Additional Information:

First Lieutenant Louis E. Allen was killed in Tikrit, Iraq on June 8, 2005 with his company commander Captain Philip Esposito following the detonation of an explosive device. The two Soldiers were assigned to Headquarters Company 42nd Infantry Division, New York Army National Guard.

Lieutenant Allen was age 34 at the time of his death and had served in the Guard since December 1997, assigned originally to the Newburgh-based Company D, 1st Battalion 101st Cavalry. His services were requested and he volunteered to deploy with the 42nd Infantry Division for service in Iraq in 2005. He was regarded as one his unit's best platoon leaders and was a popular officer in his battalion.

Louis Allen taught Earth Science and Physics at the Tuxedo High School and was a graduate of the State University of New York at Binghamton. He was the father of four sons, ranging in ages from 6 to 2 years at the time of his death.

Texas artist Phil Taylor and his wife Lisa of the American Fallen Soldiers Project will present Mrs. Barbara Allen with a portrait of her late husband at a special ceremony at the high school where he was a teacher this Friday evening. The American Fallen Soldiers Project is a 501© 3 non-profit organization committed to honoring the memory of fallen military personnel by presenting the next of kin with custom portraits of their late loved one at no cost.

The American Fallen Soldier Project has completed and presented more than 60 custom portraits to the families of fallen service personnel across the nation, including four members of the New York Army National Guard to date.

The project is supported by American Airlines which transports the portraits and the artist free of charge from Texas to locations around the country for in-person presentations. For more information go to www.americanfallensoldiers.com

Members of the media wishing to cover the ceremony should contact Phil Taylor, Denis Petrilak or Lt. Col. Paul Fanning at the number provided above.