1. TEMPERED STEEL - THE STORY BEHIND THE SCARS
Ret. Army Sgt. Scott Stephenson and his mother, Luana Schneider, decided to co-found
Tempered Steel after he was seriously wounded and disfigured in Iraq in November 2006.
Their first hand experiences to the responses Sgt. Stephenson's injuries evoked on
civilians and military alike, compelled them to break down the barriers between
wounded and disfigured veterans and those who only see their scars. The goal is to
exchange fear for enlightenment by exposing the very real human stories behind the
wounds of war.
WOUNDED MILITARY PROJECT
In deciding to co-found Tempered Steel, Scott and Luana contacted other severely
wounded military members and asked for their participation and involvement. The
response was overwhelmingly, "YES". Our severely injured military members have had
to learn to deal with the public's perception of who they were based on nothing more
than a glance. As these wounded explained, "they are in essence, still the person they
were before the injuries..on the inside". To each of them they had not fundamentally
changed who they were, just the way they looked and how the public now viewed them.
Heroes Shunned By Those They Served
Each disfigured hero, in their own way, has had to learn how to function in a society
that in many ways has shunned them or are even outright horrified at the mere sight of
these wonderful heroic men and women.
Warriors Photographic Story
Through the photo introspective and videography of these wounded warriors, Tempered
Steel will be re-introducing society to the stories behind the scars. These wounded
warriors from the Iraq/Afghanistan Wars allowed the photographer and videographer to
share in their vulnerability, strength, humor and adaptability. The very personal
glimpses into the eyes of these military heroes will bring about a greater compassion and
empathy that those injured heroes greatly desire from their communities. By exposing
their wounds with great humility, they desire to open a dialogue between the disfigured
and disabled world and the communities they live in.
http://www.TemperedSteelInc.org
luana@temperedsteelinc.org
(913) 370-0238
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2. PROJECTS
Photo Introspective “Wounds of War; The Stories Behind the Scars”
Mother of disfigured Iraq veteran Scott Stephenson, Luana Schneider, military
wife Amanda Cherry Haus, and Los Angeles photographer Micaela Bensko, join
forces to profile wounded warriors in a Vanity Fair - style portrait series for the
organization, "Tempered Steel". Tempered Steel was co-founded by Ms.
Schneider and her son, Scott Stephenson, after he was severely disfigured in
Iraq. Their goal is to break down the barriers between disfigured veterans and
civilians. Amanda Cherry Haus will be recording interviews of the wounded
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The narratives will be added with the images
for the gallery exhibit, and logged into the Library of Congress’s “Living History
Project”. The portraits and accompanied stories will culminate in a traveling
gallery exhibit for Spring of 2011. The objective: to open dialogue through
imagery and personal stories between wounded warriors and the public,
removing the gap between fear and enlightenment by exposing the human
stories behind the wounds of war. With corporate sponsorship, Tempered
Steel will turn the images and stories into a book educating communities on
the “Stories Behind the Scars”.
Tempered Steel seeks corporate sponsorship for completion of our mission.
Our military members willingness to be exposed through imagery and stories
is a testament to their courage and adaptability. Not only about their injuries,
but how society's uncomfortable stares and silence affects them on the
deepest levels. What we, as a community, may do today to empower each
wounded military member in their quest for complete psychological health
will benefit our communities for a better tomorrow.
We invite you to learn more about our organization
http://www/temperedsteelinc.org
luana@temperedsteelinc.org
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3. MISSION STATEMENT
Tempered Steel is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting national awareness, education and
support for our severely injured military members. Tempered Steel focuses on providing support to
those suffering the most debilitating traumas from Iraq and Afghanistan by encouraging peer to peer
support, educating the public and providing direction and assistance to additional programs and services
that will meet their needs. Tempered Steel will also encourage public introspection as to the courage,
heroism and commitment demonstrated by our military men and women through their stories behind
the wounds of war.
OUR GOALS:
Tempered Steel's goal is to have at least one soldier, who was severely injured due to military service, in
each state; willing and able, with Tempered Steel's support, to speak to schools, community groups,
assemblies, etc., about the stories behind the scars. By educating the public on the effects the scars
have on our disfigured soldiers we are hoping to create a nation of compassion. All of our speakers will
take peer to peer counseling training with their closest Veterans Administration at Tempered Steel’s
expense, so that each of them has the training to reach out to other wounded soldiers.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
TEMPERED STEEL, INC.
16039 274th Rd Atchison, KS 66002
(913) 370-0238
Fax (866) 377-3343
luana@temperedsteelinc.org
http://www/temperedsteelinc.org
LUANA A SCHNEIDER
SGT SCOTT STEPHENSON
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4. SSG Robert Henline
Someone once said that comedy is about telling the bitter truth with a sense of good timing. "I was
blessed with a good sense of
humor," Robert Henline tells me.
"And I think that has helped me
more than anything else."
Robert Henline is one of those
rare people you meet in life that
at once makes you laugh
hysterically and simultaneously
reminds you to be a better
person. His use of laughter
speaks volumes to the strength
of one man's survival against
events that could have easily
provoked bitterness. Robert
knows the physical scars left by
the IED- improvised explosive
device, are visible on his body-
what people don't see he tells me are the invisible scars. "The comedy is not only healing for me, but at
the same time it's getting awareness out there."
He recounts the events of April 7, 2007 factually, detached from any awareness as his mind cannot yet
recall specifics, the details have been given to him through military reports, second hand witnesses and
medical assessments. He does recall volunteering to take the lead vehicle to keep a newly injured soldier
from harm his first day back, he also remembers having a cup of coffee waiting for the Captain that died
later in the Humvee they were driving when hit, but otherwise cannot recall any other sensations,
details or memories. He has been told that he suffered full thickness burns over 38% of his body. His
head was burned so deeply that his skull was visible. He lost his eyelid, the use of his left hand which
was later amputated, and remarkably suffered no burns on his chest.
On the first and second deployments Robert had used his down time to workout, bringing his body into
excellent physical shape. He jokes that at one point he had earned the nickname "The Gun Show" and
had serial numbers tattooed on his biceps.
"I was told that I was awake and complaining about my eyes," he chuckles recalling the explosion that
ripped through his body. "I guess I was frustrated and confused that I couldn't see anything.
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5. SSG Robert Henline
I asked a lot of questions later about what I did or said- make sure I didn't cry like a girl - that I took it
like a man. I had to live up to my nickname - The Gun Show!”
When we talk more about dreams and the future, Robert tells me about his stand-up comedy. He admits
that when one of his therapists first suggested he
use his humor as a way to help his recovery he had
doubts. No one else would get it, he thought, he
could see himself being the funny guy at a party,
but having people laugh at him and the way he
looks now... he just didn't see the benefits. But not
having a personality that shies from a challenge, he
tried it and loved it.
"The great thing about it is that it brings
awareness. If they see another burn survivor
they'll think- hey, there's a person in there, they
have a sense of humor. They're human, they eat
food, they're not zombies... even if they look like
one!" Robert believes that there are barriers to
understanding, compassion and even inspiration
that can be broken through with the telling of his
story. He knows that he's just being himself, going
out and telling his story, joking around - but if one
person takes something from his story and finds
the inspiration to overcome their own obstacles,
then what happened to him was for a good reason.
He has found that through laughter we can all unite in a common understanding that survival is in all of
us. "Doors have been opened for me because of what's happened to me," he admits. "I see it as a
blessing. I use the strength of the guys who were in that Humvee with me who didn't make it to be
stronger, to make a difference. If one person uses my story to change their life for the better, then it's
been worth it."
More of Bobby's story and many other wounded veterans' stories will appear in a traveling gallery to
raise funds for a book detailing the stories behind the scars. The stories will also be send to the Library
of Congress for preservation.
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6. SGT SCOTT STEPHENSON
When you talk to Ret Army Sgt. Scott Stephenson,
he may come across as angry. Any anger is not at
the fact that on November 25, 2006 his Humvee
hit an improvised explosive device (I.E.D.) in Iraq,
but at the stares and treatment he now receives
because of his burn scars that cover 66% of his
body, his mangled and much smaller left arm or his
missing left lower leg.
Scott wants people to look past these disfiguring
injuries to the proud, humorous and quick witted
young man he still is. This has made him passionate about talking to people about his injuries, not angry
over what has happened to him.
The mischievous glint in his beautiful blue eyes along with his self-depreciating laughter and jokes about
his mangled body make you want to laugh along. Yes, laugh along! Yet, you can see the hurt that is there
as he recounts how people have tripped over him in the mall staring at his injuries or have fallen into
him trying desperately not to look. He is proud of his military accomplishments; although he will quickly
point out that he is no hero. "I was in Iraq for only 3 weeks before we hit the I.E.D. I had yet to do
anything that would qualify me as a hero. All I did was live."
As Scott describes that day, he is very matter of fact. "I did not lose consciousness; I was awake the
entire time." It was at the end of a patrol day; a day they were not scheduled to be out. Yet another
squad wanted to watch the college football games that Saturday after Thanksgiving, so his squad went
instead. They were almost through for the day when their Platoon Leader decided to take a road not
traveled. Scott was in the rear passenger seat of the lead Humvee when they rounded a corner and hit
the I.E.D. Scott describes the explosion as "being rocked violently." He said he realized he was on fire
and slammed the door open, falling to the ground following orders to stop, drop and roll. But as he was
trying to put himself out, he realized his left arm was barely hanging on and the flames would not stop.
Scott says he does not remember any pain, just the absolute unadulterated horror of realizing he was
burning alive.
The medic rushed forward from one of the other Humvee's with a fire blanket, smothering the flames.
Scott states he was laying there seeing the absolute horror on his friend's faces, knowing he was in bad
shape. But he kept asking for his friends, he had to make sure they were ok. They were all walking; a
couple were injured, but none with injuries as severe as his. Apparently Scott took the brunt of the
explosion. And he was grateful, as he asserts, "if not me, who would I choose from my friends?"
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7. SGT SCOTT STEPHENSON
Scott remembers lying on the ground staring at the beautiful blue sky and seeing a bird flying high. "I
wanted to be that bird," he utters. "I just wanted to fly away and never come back." When he got to the
cache in Baghdad, he said the doctors told him he could finally go to sleep. He does not remember much
else until 8 weeks later, waking
up in a step-down burn unit in
San Antonio, TX. There he finally
realized the extent of his injuries
and had to come to terms with
his physical losses. But his squad
leader, whom was in the truck
that day, was there for part of his
recuperation. It lessened some of
the feeling that he had somehow
abandoned his friends.
Scott has since spent the last 3 ½
years recuperating, learning to
live with a left arm that will not
bend and a hand that will not lift
itself, trying to be fit with a
prosthetic leg (his left lower leg
was amputated due to infection
from the severe burns), and living
with scars covering 90% of his
body from both the burns and
the multiple skin grafts. Scott sustains "that living with burns is like living with your skin wrapped tightly
in saran wrap. You cannot feel the breeze; you cannot sweat or feel cold or the light touch of another
living being. It is hard when you cannot regulate your own body temperature."
Scott becomes a little testy when talking about his PTSD. He asserts that he was not there long enough
to have it. "I didn't go through the things my friends did. The only other incident besides the I.E.D. was
someone shot at our Humvee one day. And as the rounds pinged off my door, it infuriated me that
someone had the audacity to shoot at us!" But he admits that he is seeing a psychologist and affirms, "It
really does help to talk to a neutral party."
He is home in Kansas and attending college for his degree in entrepreneurial business, he plans to open
his own bar and grill one day. He has also co-founded Tempered Steel with his mother, Luana Schneider.
7

8. SGT SCOTT STEPHENSON
"I want people to look at the real me, not the scar covered
me, I want them to see the person that I am.
And by educating people on our stories, we hope to
change how people see us. We want them to look past the
wheelchairs, crutches, prosthetics and scars to see us as
we see ourselves. We are your boyfriends, fathers, sons,
brothers and friends."
Photography by Micaela Bensko
More of Scott's story and many other wounded veterans' stories will appear in a traveling gallery to
raise funds for a book detailing the stories behind the scars. The stories will also be send to the Library
of Congress for preservation.
8

9. SSG SHILO HARRIS
His voice is a hard southern drawl from places in Texas where life is like a country song. It would easy to
describe him as a cowboy, with
all-American values and blood
that runs red-white and blue. But
there is so much more to Shilo
Harris than where he's from, and
the lyrics of a song can't begin to
hold the weight of his
experiences.
"I had this soldier in my platoon
when I was over there," he tells
me. "Young kid, didn't know any
better. We'd be out on patrol,
and it was against regulations but
Photography by Micaela Bensko
we'd give the kids stuff. They had nothing. You'd see kids wearing the same clothes everyday, dirty from
head to toe. We weren't supposed to give them things, but how do you not? They'd sooner take pencils
and paper from us than dolls or toys, because they could practice in school with the pencils and paper.
This soldier of mine, he'd go and pick on these kids, these Iraqi kids. And I'd tell him stop that, this is the
next generation of Iraqis, Muslims. We want these kids to like us."
Shilo served two tours in Iraq as a Calvary Scout. His primary mission as he describes it was to clear
routes and provide community support. He talks about his fellow soldiers as if they were members of his
family, my brothers he calls them. He wryly describes a particular Sgt. Major as a tough love
grandfather, who earned his respect by pushing Shilo to be a better soldier. Just before sustaining his
injuries Shilo was transferred to a new unit to replace an NCO that was killed in the line of duty. It was a
career advancing move that forced him to mature rather quickly. Taking a fatherly approach to the
challenge Shilo weighed the needs of the Army against the welfare of his new troops.
"Being the new guy and coming over to replace these brothers who had been injured or killed," Shilo
confides. "was very hard for me. I had to be very flexible and understanding. I led them through a couple
of engagements and earned their respect. But I had to decide early on if the disrespect was appropriate
or not because I had a few guys who were just outright disrespectful."
February 19th of 2007 was a day filled with mishaps. A new Lieutenant was put in charge of the mission,
9

10. SSG SHILO HARRIS
the radios weren't working correctly, and a civilian had called in an IED for investigation. The route
leading to the suspicious IED was known for being dangerous to the point that walking was safer than
driving through it. But because of the urgency of the mission the choice was made to drive the route.
Shilo had just taken command of a vehicle in charge of the five men who occupied it- a driver, a gunner,
two dismounted soldiers and himself. When the well hidden IED exploded just behind the driver's seat
Shilo believes the Army lost five good soldiers that day. Shilo and his driver survived beyond expectation
with injuries so severe no one believed it possible. Both dismounts and the gunner died that day in Iraq-
and there were days when Shilo admits he wishes it had been him as well. He describes his injuries and
the surgeries to repair what was left behind as too numerous to remember. He recently looked in a
mirror and laughingly asked his wife- "So honey, what's it like being married to Frankenstein?"
He laughs now about his journey toward recovery, a journey that has taken three years of his new life.
He describes the whole process as a grieving process that seems to go in phases. There is the physical
phase, he tells me, where you're celebrating every physical milestone as an accomplishment and that's
empowering. Then there is the phase where the physical just ends, you either learn to cope with what
you can't do or find a different way of doing it. And in this phase he admits is where the depression can
easily take hold. He describes to me a phase that he calls the family phase, where he's no longer the
center of attention and he can focus on the effects his injuries have had on his family. As he describes it
his family set aside their own emotions to get him through
the process of recovery.
"I've had several days when I thought I couldn't go on, that
I shouldn't go on," he admits easily. "Because of my family
I went on. Then there is a phase where you're dealing with
your family- the family is going; 'Whew- we're in the clear,
we got you well, now it's our turn.' So now my wife is going
through her recovery. I have days when I'm down and I
look around. I see how we've all grown from this and the
relationship we've all grown into it as a family. The worst
things that have happened have only made me stronger- I
say me... but it's we, my family and I."
Photography by Micaela Bensko
More of Shilo’s story and many other wounded veterans' stories will appear in a traveling gallery to raise
funds for a book detailing the stories behind the scars. The stories will also be send to the Library of
Congress for preservation.
10

11. CONTACT INFORMATION:
TEMPERED STEEL, INC.
16039 274th Rd Atchison, KS 66002
(913) 370-0238
Fax (866) 377-3343
luana@temperedsteelinc.org
http://www/temperedsteelinc.org
LUANA A SCHNEIDER
SGT SCOTT STEPHENSON
11