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Fulfilling his dream of joining the United States Marine Corps, Anthony Marquez was sent to the sweltering sands of the Sangin Valley, Afghanistan in 2011.

His unit ultimately lost 17 Marines while deployed.

After returning to the States and civilian life, the faces of the men that died haunted Anthony. The hurt their families felt tugged at his own heart. Why was he allowed to come home, to live on, but those 17 men had to die?

How could he memorialize the 17? What could he do to let their families know that their sons would not be forgotten. That is when Anthony had the idea to carve with his chainsaw a “Battlefield Cross” for every Gold Star family from his unit affected by loss. He would then hand deliver each and every one of the carvings to the family. This became Anthony’s new mission as a Marine: To honor the fallen. He delivered carvings to families across the United States between 2016 and 2019. The goal was complete, but the work wasn’t done.

In the fall of 2021, Anthony set out on the road once again. On the 10th anniversary of the unit’s deployment, he revisited all 17 families that received a carving. Along the way, he also touched base with Marines that made it home, like he did, and recounted their journey together. The trip was documented by his brother, filmmaker Manny Marquez and producer Ben Leiser.