Shared loss motivated two high school students to work through their continual healing process by completing an Eagle Scout project in remembrance of their hero, Officer Mike Reid, formerly of the Henry County Police Department.

  Officer Mike Reid was found behind the Publix on Ga. Highway 20 in March of  2017, having succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

  In memory of his father and for his Eagle Scout project, Josh Reid refurbished two benches and a table at the Henry County Government Annex Building  for the use of future patrons.

  “I wanted people to remember him by who he was and not really as much for how he died. I want people to remember him as the cop that helped people,” said Josh.

  Josh, a senior at Ola High School, has been in the Boy Scouts since 2013 and had spent much of his time in the Boy Scouts with his dad close by his side, participating in meetings, events and excursions. 

  Unsure if he would pursue his Eagle Scout rank following the death of his father, Josh finally decided to apply after receiving the support of his Boy Scout troop, close family and friends.

  This project manifested within the past month, as Josh sped to get the project finished and apply for the rank of Eagle Scout, as his birthday was January 24 and he would be unable to apply after he aged out of the program at 18.

  “[Mike] helped out in a special kind of way, he touched a lot of people’s lives. I wanted to leave something with his name on it for people to remember him,” said Josh. “I did not know how I was going to do it until I got this opportunity, but now that I have done it, it feels good.”

  Josh and his close friend, Kody Welch, put in over 30 hours sanding down the benches and table, painting them black, as well as adding the “thin blue line” with Mike Reid’s name and his end of watch date to one of the benches. A Bible verse, Matthew 5:9, was added to the other bench. It reads “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” 

  Kody, although a friend of Josh, viewed Mike as a father figure in his life and was greatly impacted by the sudden loss.

  “I live with my grandparents and my grandfather and his father were very close at the time his dad was alive. Me and Josh grew up together and became very close friends. It hit me really hard when his dad passed away because his dad meant a whole lot to me,” said Kody. “He taught me a lot of lessons about life. I looked at him almost as a father figure within the troop. I felt that it was only right that I helped Josh do this because I care about his dad and I miss his dad.”

  Looking back, Josh is able to cherish the memories that he got to make with his father while participating in Boy Scouts through the years, as well as special moments from everyday life.

  “Going camping, watching football, shooting guns, hunting is mainly what we did. We had fun together,” said Josh. “We would go camping with the Scouts a lot. He was really involved. He touched a lot of kid’s lives and I just want people to remember him by what he did for everybody.”

  Since the images of his project were posted on the Henry County Police Department’s Facebook page last Friday, the family has received an outpouring of support and well wishes from the community.

  Josh’s mother, Becky, said that she wishes that Mike had been aware of the community’s support while he was still alive.

  “We are getting so many comments on Facebook from people saying ‘We miss Mike’ or that he was a great police officer,” said Becky. “We just wish Mike had known that before he passed away.”

  Upon placing the last touches on the bench, Becky stated that Josh became quiet, “almost like it was final, real.”

  Josh says that he feels as if he has “done what was needed” by completing the project in honor of his father.

  “You’re helping to leave a legacy. You’re leaving his name, his mark on this county,” said Kody. “It’s just nice.”

  Following his graduation in May, Josh hopes to become a real estate agent with his mother.

  And although he may not have his future plans set in stone at the moment, Josh feels that his time in the Boy Scouts has helped him prepare for what is to come.

  “I’ve learned how to be more of a leader, to step forward and guide people,” said Josh. “That is something that I plan on passing down to my kids and everyone that I meet, to have that trait.”

  As for his father’s legacy, Josh hopes to carry that within himself in the coming years, so as to not forget the best traits that his father possessed.

  “I try to be like him. I try to live like he was still here,” said Josh.

  Josh has sent in his Eagle Scout application to the Boy Scouts and hopes to appear in front of a board in the coming weeks to determine his candidacy for the Eagle Scout rank.