EVERYDAY PEOPLE

Sheila Reem's 2002 Pontiac Sunfire is more than just a car to this south Brainerd resident.

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When the car - which has 119,000 miles on it - dies, Reem won't just junk it. She'll likely donate it to Camp Ripley or another military camp.

The reason? Reem's car is a memorial to honor all the soldiers who were killed in the War in Iraq. There are 454 names of fallen Army National Guard soldiers, including eight Minnesota soldiers, listed in yellow paint over the two sides of the four-door, red car. The names of the Minnesota soldiers, including Sgt. Joshua R. Hanson, are painted on the strip over the windows.

Sheila Reem sat in her 2002 Pontiac Sunfire on Thursday at the Paul Bunyan Nature Learning Center. Reem had her car turned into a memorial to honor fallen soldiers from the war.

Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey

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Reem, 33, said the soldiers listed were killed before Sept. 11, 2006. That date and April 15, 2002, the day the first soldier was killed in Afghanistan, also are painted on the car.

Reem hired Cory Verkiness, an airbrush artist from St. Joseph, to paint her car in October 2006 and it took him four weeks. Reem said Verkiness is a Minnesota National Guard soldier and he was deployed to Iraq and one of his buddies was killed while on tour. His name is listed on the car.

Reem's friend, Cory Berkman, also helped with the car. Berkman provided the prep work and finishing touches.

Sheila Reem

Family: Single. Has three brothers, a sister-in-law, five nephews and a niece. Her parents are Chuck Reem of Brainerd and Marie and Jim Martinez of Rogers.

Pets: Two cats named Puppy and Tweek.

Movie you've seen more than 10 times: "Coyote Ugly."

Last movie you've seen in a theater: "Road Hogs."

Favorite song: "Have You Forgotten," by Darryl Worley.

Perfect day: "Being outside on a nice, sunny day with no bugs, enjoying nature with no traffic sound with my family."

Animal you can relate to: "A wolf because they're mysterious, secretive and mischievous."

Flower you'd like to be: "A tiger lily ... Or a pink lady slipper because I'm picky and they're picky with where they grow."

If you have a suggestion for an Everyday People feature, contact Kathi Nagorski at kathi. nagorski@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5859.

Also on the hood of the car is a Prisoners of War/Missing in Action flag, two symbols of the riffle, boots and helmet that the military uses to honor a fallen soldier and a saying in yellow paint: "Freedom isn't free. Remember the blood that brought this right."

Reem said, "I think this saying really symbolizes the car. Freedom comes at a cost and these soldiers died fighting for our freedom."

Under the soldiers names on the sides of the vehicle are "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and "Operation Enduring Freedom" painted in larger yellow letters. On the top of the car is an Army National Guard logo and on the back are decals of the Patriotic Guard Riders and the American flag. There also is a handwritten decal that reads, "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a soldier."

"This saying is getting common," Reem said. "A friend of mine saw it on a vehicle in the Cities and I asked my mechanic to make it for me."

Reem's car also includes "Support Our Troops" license plates and she has a row of military bear Beanie Babies across the back window.

Reem, who has two brothers and several cousins in the military and many retired veterans in her family, said she wanted to do something for the soldiers to support them, especially since the Vietnam War veterans didn't get the support they needed. Reem said she thought the car would be a good place for the memorial because more people would see it.

"There are always people looking at my car and taking pictures of it," Reem said. "People mainly thank me for supporting the soldiers. Many times I've found notes on my windshield from people thanking me ... I haven't had any negative remarks from people who see my car."

Once, Reem was in Pelican Rapids and parked in a DNR parking lot. There, when Hanson's parents saw his name listed on Reem's car, they started to cry. Reem said they were honored by how Reem supported the fallen soldiers.

"I don't support the war," Reem said. "I support the soldiers.

"I quit watching the news on TV since 2004 (because of the war). If I see anything on Iraq I turn it off right away. I can't watch it because then I start crying right away."

Reem, a 1994 Crosby-Ironton High School graduate, works part-time at the Holiday Station Store in Baxter and is a month away from graduating from the College of St. Scholastica through the Central Lakes College's night program with a bachelor's of arts degree in natural science.

Reem has been interested in natural resources all her life. She earned a natural resources degree in applied sciences and an environmental studies certificate from CLC in 2007. Then in 2009, she earned her CLC associates of arts degree.

"I want to educate all age grounds on what nature really is, how to preserve and conserve the wetlands," Reem said. "I've always enjoyed nature. My mom used to tell me and my brothers that we were part fish because we'd never get out of the water."

With her interest in nature, Reem also is a water quality consultant for Rogers Lake near Emily and she's a volunteer at the Paul Bunyan Learning Nature Center outside Brainerd.

"I spend as many hours here as possible," Reem said of the nature center. "I feed the swan, turtle and we have a feeder for the other critters who want to eat. There are nearly 70 acres out here and we do nature programs here, but it's been limited because we have no funding. We get our funding through different grants and donations."

JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.