05/24/2026
It’s Memorial Day weekend, and I found myself watching one of the most meaningful projects I’ve ever been part of.
In 2005, Creative Images was asked to record the funeral service for Marine Cpl. Robert “Bobby” Warns II of Wisconsin, who was killed in Iraq at the age of 23. The full service was created as a keepsake for his unborn child and family.
We also created a shorter 5.5 minute tribute video so friends, fellow Marines, and extended family who could not attend could still take part in remembering Bobby.
What happened next was something none of us expected.
Long before YouTube, Facebook video, or modern social sharing really existed, the video began spreading across the internet. Traffic became so intense that my hosting company temporarily moved my website off the shared server because the video was overwhelming it. At the time, they also hosted major national websites, including Best Buy.
The tribute was aired in full on Milwaukee television stations and discussed nationally on radio programs. It connected people across the country who wanted to honor a fallen Marine and support his family.
Now, over twenty years later, the video still exists online as both a memorial and a reminder of how powerful video can be when it preserves something real.
Memorial Day is not about a long weekend. It’s about people like Bobby.
Semper Fi.
Watch the tribute here:
In 2005, Creative Images produced a memorial tribute for Marine Robert “Bobby” Warns II. The video was shared widely online and featured by Milwaukee television news stations.