Owasso Marine Veteran Honors Fallen Heroes With Wooden Carvings

An Owasso Marine veteran is making sure his fallen brothers and sisters won't be forgotten.

He's been carving wooden battlefield crosses with a chainsaw since 2016.

It takes Anthony Marquez about six hours to finish his battlefield cross carvings, and he’s working on this one right now. But he says the end result is well worth it.

The combat boots, rifle, and helmet serve as a powerful reminder of those lost in combat.

“That image brings back memories of the guys, of the men and women they served with," Marquez said.

Marquez served in Afghanistan in 2011, he started carving five years later.

He gave the finished battlefield crosses to the families of the 17 people in his unit who were killed in action.

“That was the whole reason behind it. Because I felt like I needed to do something for them," he said.

Since then, he's expanded his work to many more families.

“I’ve done 71 of them now in the past five years or so roughly," he said.

Heather Sedam served with Anthony and she's helping him raise money for an upcoming documentary.

“To keep that memory alive of them. You know these were our friends, they protected us," she said.

The documentary will follow Anthony as he revisits all the families he gave a battlefield cross to.

The goal is to interview families who knew those veterans to keep their stories and memories alive.

“They sacrificed their life you know?" Marquez said. "That was the greatest thing that they could give us was their last breath. So it’s important to honor that and remember that.”

You can donate to the fundraiser supporting the documentary HERE.