As a child I have always had a passion for art. Expressing myself through spontaneous and authentic caricatures has always helped me express and develop my artistic creativity. However, my aspirations of becoming a professional cartoonist/artist had to be placed in a brief hold, as my calling for art was conflicted by another calling, a calling to serve and become part of our Nations’ fighting elite, The United States Marine Corps had another calling, a rite of passage and to prove to myself that I had the grit to become one of the few and the proud. I joined the United States Marine Corps in May of 2000. Like my passion for art, I also had a passion to serve my country; the Marines was my vehicle to convey such a passion.

In 2005, I landed in Fallujah Iraq as a Rifleman. In 2009, my final deployment, lead me to Helmand Province Afghanistan as a Field Artilleryman. My experiences
bestowed upon me by my beloved Marine Corps were beyond measure. I learned that sacrifice carries a hefty price, as does freedom. I also learned that doing the right thing sometimes bares consequences. Like many Veterans before me, I returned home only to feel like I did not belong; I felt ostracized by the world I left to fight for. Re-acclimating to civilian life was challenging to say the least. It was a matter of time before like many, I found myself without purpose and in a dark place. However, thanks to some of my brothers and sisters whom I served with, perseverance, and the Esprit-De-Corps instilled in me by beloved Marine Corps, I was able to resurface and reignite my passion for artistic self-expression.

I soon found myself drawing stories and characters that resonated with me during my
Marine Corps experience. I found free-flowing self-expression without reservation. Life events
and people of all walks of life have always inspired me to document events, only to bring those events back to life on a canvass with just a simple sketch, comic book, and animated shorts. I found myself reliving some of my comical, as well as somber Marine Corps moments on a piece of canvass, seemingly anything that could convey and express what I was feeling at that very moment, sometimes even the interior of an MRE cardboard packaging piece , MRE box or what ever I can find as a canvass. I later began to expand my artistic talent by designing logos for military units and printing them on shirt's; and also created stickers that have a personal meaning. It was not long before I found myself attending art-school to expand my artistic innovation and creativity, and in 2013, I graduated from Platt College.

As a Veteran I know how difficult it is to return home. I understand the challenges of reacclimating to a world we once knew, when it seems like all we know is the world we left behind. Eventually I found a way to reclaim a new purpose, and that purpose is to bring my artwork to life by giving each piece of art a piece of my story. As a Veteran and Artist, my goal is to inspire others by providing authentic artistic material that is representative of all those who served and their families who sacrificed their loved ones. Whether they returned home, or never left the field of battle, my art is dedicated to them, inspired by them, for all to see, and in essence have a piece of those experiences with them.

Semper Fidelis,
Fabian Serrano, Staff Sergeant
United States Marine Corps