Thank you, Spectrum News for this amazing featured story!
Anthony Guadagnino started making handcrafted wooden American flags three years ago. It started as a gift for a friend but quickly turned into something more.
“When I gave it to him, some of the guys there, just kind of, bells and whistles started turning and we said, ‘Well, maybe we have something here,’ ” Guadagnino said.
Three years later, Guadagnino and his team have made more than 3,000 of these wooden flags. Orders come in from across the country, usually as a gift for someone in the military or law enforcement.
“We take it very seriously,” Guadagnino said. “There’s a lot of meaning, a lot of symbolism; something that’s going to be hanging in someone’s home.”
It also means a lot for Guadagnino and his team to make these flags. They’re also veterans. Guadagnino joined the Marines in 1999 and deployed to Iraq in 2003.
“Making the flags, it means something to us, it’s important to us,” Guadagnino said. “So it’s got an emotional factor.”
The emotional factor is what drives them to make sure every little detail is done right. It also brings them together to paint, wax, and engrave these flags in their free time.
Today, Guadagnino serves in the Army, working at the Watervliet Arsenal.
“It’s a team of guys that get together and you know we have a blast, some camaraderie,” Guadagnino said. “That’s what the military is all about.”
With the holiday season in full swing, orders are beginning to pick up. Guadagnino expects to make more than 1,200 flags for 2018.
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What an honor to be able to reconnect and present a personalized laser engraved flag for the Kiendzior family! Pat and I served in the Marines and deployed to Iraq together in 2003. Great time getting the families together and hearing all about “Chance” and Delta Dog!
Check out this gorgeous flag that Patrick and his OpDD Chance received! It’s beautiful! Thank you Veteran Made Woodworks LLC for sharing these great pictures! – Operation Delta Dog
We receive requests for donations every day but deciding whom to gift a flag and “give back” was an easy decision to make. Carrie Farley is a Gold Star Mother to SSG Derek Farley. SSG Farley was killed August 17 2009 in Afghanistan while he was trying to defuse an IED.
Our friend and Carrie’s Co-Worker Ed Yamin told us all about her, her son and how she has dedicated her life to serving others. She works to support Veteran’s and this great Nation through the Gold Star Mother’s. She has endured what no one should have to feel yet turned struggle into a positive.
Happy Mother’s Day to Gold Star Mother Carrie Farley we hope this gift honors your sacrifice and serves as a symbol of freedom for years to come.
We are very proud to have Robert Hicks as a part of our team and to call him a friend. Have a look at this Spectrum News piece highlighting his service and experience in the Army. Rob has a hand in every flag we make, a true motivator and patriot!
SPECTRUM NEWS VIDEO: A Troy native and Army veteran had no idea what to expect when he joined the Army, years later he couldn’t imagine his life any other way. In the final installment of our Black History month series, Solomon Syed introduces you to Sergeant Robert Glen Hicks.