Ethan Harkin was the younger son of Jerry Harkin and Mrs. Harkin and brother of Kevin Harkin. Ethan's brother Kevin enlisted in the army and was killed in action overseas. At the funeral, Kevin's recruiter, Staff Sergeant Mike Donley, consoled Ethan by telling him that he shouldn't feel sad about Kevin because every time Ethan saw a soldier on TV, in the news, or on the street, he was seeing a piece of Kevin, and that Kevin was now a part of something bigger. Though Ethan's father Jerry had disapproved of Sgt. Donley's recruiting Kevin into the army, he was moved by what Sgt. Donley said. Ethan's whereabouts in 2010, when Jerry recounted the story to detectives, are unknown.