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 of Tempered Steel is to educate 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.