OMAHA – Monday will be Milly Bevin's second summer without her father.
But instead of using a dresser drawer as the final resting place for bullet casings from his graveside military honors, the Omaha woman now displays them in her sun room.
Her father may not have liked to remember his Army service during World War II, but Bevins thinks the bullet casings, transformed into a beautiful piece of artwork, are a wonderful way to remember him.
“I am very pleased at how it turned out,” she said.
Bevins is among the first beneficiaries of a new direction Steele is taking with her Wooden American Flag Art embellished with recycled bullet casings.
In addition to getting the spent bullet casings from Omaha Gun Club, where they sell her products, and turning them into Wooden American Flag Art, the Bellevue woman has started creating special Memorial Keepsake Flags from the three spent casings honor guards present to families at graveside services.
“I got the idea in September while at a friend's dad's funeral,” Steele said. “I thought families might like to do something more with these casings other than put them in a box. So I figured, I can probably incorporate them into a beautiful piece of (patriotic) art. The first one I made, she cried when I presented it to her. ”
Honor Guard officers give families three casings with the flag as a remembrance after giving a 21-gun salute (actually seven riflemen firing three volleys).
One of Steele's first military memorial pieces was a Memorial Keepsake Flag she made in honor of her grandfather, and displays the Flag in her office. The late, Geronimo C. Baladhay, died before she had a chance to meet him.
During WWII, only 122 soldiers of the Philippine Guerilla Army were inducted into the Army of the United States under General Douglas MacArthur. Her grandfather was one of them. He served in the US Army, 14th Infantry, Philippine Division in 1941 during WWII.
“He died before I was able to meet him,” Steele said. “This makes me feel like a part of him is with me, and that makes me happy.”
Herself the daughter of a United States Military veteran, Steele has sold her Wooden American Flags in her online store (Patriot American Flags) www.patriot-af.com for about a year, with flags starting at $60, but she said the price for military pieces will depend on what the customer requests. Customers have the option to add a nameplate and personalization to the Memorial Keepsake Flag.
“I actually feel like I'm walking on holy ground when I work on these,” Steele said. “I'm making something special to remember someone who has served our country, and it's touching to me.”