Liz Jackson was tired of the word 'hero' being bandied about in the aftermath of September 11. "If you mowed your lawn, you were a hero," she now parodies.
But the Washington native never doubted the heroic certitude of those who served in the armed forces. So out of curiosity, she asked military personnel who their heroes were.
The answer: medical responders, firefighters and police officers -- all of whom looked after people's families at home so that the troops could focus on their units abroad. When Jackson asked the same question to public safety professionals, they returned the warm sentiments; singling out folks in the armed services as those they most admired.
And so began Jackson's 'Hero to Hero' project that runs to this day. The program facilitates the donation of shirts "from the backs" of public safety workers to soldier units in Afghanistan and Iraq. By requirement, each shirt has been worn by a real-life 'hero' and displays a logo connoting the department
