Bristol soldier among 6 veterans honored by commemorative gift

By Alana Cerrone

acerrone@abc6.com

@Alana_Cerrone

In a memorable moment during the 2015 Bristol Fourth of July Celebration, 1SG P Andrew McKenna, Jr., was honored by his hometown. One month later, he was killed in Afghanistan.

But he hasn’t been forgotten, and Eli Crane wants to make sure he never will be.

"The main goal is to make sure that these men – these heroes- that have given their lives, you know, aren’t forgotten."

Crane is a veteran himself. He started a company called ‘Bottle Breacher’ which makes different types of gifts out of recycled military hardware, like bullets.

But when he was approached by a fallen hero’s mom who was worried people would soon forget her son, his mission took a different turn.

"It really bothered me when I see young people who can tell you everything about Tom Brady and famous golfers and stuff like that…but if you ask about a hero like Andrew McKenna and what he did for this country in his 17 years of special forces service, nobody can tell you a thing."

So Crane launched the ‘Never Forgotten’ series, a special line of bottle openers crafted out of used bullets, dedicated to 6 of America’s military heroes. They include Chris Kyle, Marc Lee, and most recently Andrew McKenna.

"It’s got a really cool image of Andrew on it, and the dates of his life. He deserves to be remembered by Americans everywhere."

20%  of the proceeds of each McKenna Bottle Breacher go towards his scholarship fund. 

The McKenna family says they’re honored to be receiving so much support locally and nationwide.

© WLNE-TV 2017