USAF Retirement Shadowbox

This was a first for me. Not building the shadowbox; but using white suede as a background color. I’ve always been a fan of using dark dignified colors for military displays. But this project needed to be special.  I wanted the design to be fresh and dramatic, worthy of this distinguished Air Force retiree.

He and I had met 30 years ago and have kept in touch through Facebook over the years. CMSgt Garrett Kuwada spent his military career in the postal service in Europe and the Pacific. He reached the highest enlisted rank in the US Air Force at Chief Master Sergeant, which is quite an accomplishment. When he retired to Hawaii, he reached out and asked if I would create something special for his retirement. Of course, I jumped at the chance. Not long after, a shipping box arrived packed with his uniform, patches, medals and coins. I sorted through things, worked on a layout and set the project underway. Let me tell you how I built it.

The uniform, flag and post office box (pictured upper left) called for a very deep frame. I chose Roma’s Ramino Steel Black shadowbox moulding (#175001) capped on top of its coordinating frame #174001 that I turned on its side. I liked the combination of wood and black finishes in contrasting shape. Since the frame had to be so deep, the wide sides were going be become part of the design and be interesting to look at.

The inside of the frame was a generous four inches and gave me a lot of space to utilize in the design. I used the white suede mat as the side spacer but separated the top and bottom sections with a ¼ black plastic spacer. Not only did it add some interest to the inside of the frame, but it served the purpose of holding the vertical elevated plates in place.

The plates that hold the patches run the entire height of the frame and are held in place between the two layers of side walls. They were made out of Crescent #7180 White Suede on top at 6” wide and Crescent #1607 Bright White as the supporting bottom mat at 6 ½” wide. The coins were sink-mounted in the suede mat, and the patches and pins were top mounted. Foamcore strips are hidden below and supported the length of the plates and held them up above the jacket.

I used the same combination of mats for the top center plate that elevated the nametag and pins. Floating it gave more visual importance to the items and the added height balance the height of the flag. I’m always looking for ways to emphasize symmetry in my designs. By centering the name plate and raising it, the overall design is more pleasing to the eye.

The uniform was placed front and center. I used a form made of foamcore inside the jacket to add some bulk under the lapels. This also helped to support the medals and dog tags. Everything was sewn in place. For the flag, I cut the triangle shape from my Wizard template, then added foamcore sides to lift the mat and hold the flag tightly in place.

The 6” tall mat plate that is across the bottom of the shadowbox creates the illusion of an equally balanced border, plus serves the important function of hiding the bulkiest part of the jacket. To help fill the space, I cut his name out of the white mat using my Wizard CMC, then glued the letters in place for a subtle detail that he really loved.

To finish off this oversized shadowbox, I glazed it with Tru Vue’s Optium Museum Acrylic. This saved weight and offered better viewing without glare. For a shadow box, it’s my favorite material to use: No static. No scratching.  It would also be safe for shipping across the Pacific.

The final step was to build a wood crate that would protect this special project on its way to Hawaii. I built it out of plywood with extra foam padding to cushion the frame. The crate weighed close to eighty pounds, so to aid in handling the oversized crate, I added metal handles to each side. I was glad I did, because I made delivering it to the shipping office much easier. Since it had to fly, I made arrangements with United Airlines Cargo, which was much cheaper option that traditional shippers. It was easy to open an account and all I had to do was drop it off at their cargo center near the airport.

I’m told when he opened it and saw the shadowbox it took his breath away. It was a great honor to create something special for CMSgt Kuwada. Next time, I think I’ll deliver it myself. A business trip to Hawaii would have been fun. I could deduct that, right?