In LA Fleet Week’s expo area over the weekend, WUN55 – a military merchandise brand – grabbed the attention of attendees with eagles, skulls and more cast in bright colors and bold designse.

On Memorial Day, brothers Albert and Fabian Serrano welcomed anyone who passed by and encouraged them to check out the merchandise with designs that were hand-drawn by Fabian.

“I’ve always done artwork,” he said. “Then, when I joined the Marines, they find out if you can draw or not, so I started drawing unit designs.”

While the artwork at the WUN55 booth was captivating, the Serrano brothers’ story is even moreso. They both fought in Afghanistan, side by side, Albert Serrano said. When they finally returned home, Fabian returned to serve in Iraq, but Albert could no longer re-enlist due to an injury, he said.

Since both brothers had the same last name, Albert when by “Gris,” which means gray in Spanish, as a nickname that suck to this day. He became so used to the nickname that he legally changed it to become his middle name, Albert said.

Albert retired as a sergeant, and Fabian went on to retire as a staff sergeant.

“My family and friends started pushing me to start illustrating again, and it turned out to be my outlet,” Fabian said. When he created WUN55, he was selling designs from whatever he was inspired to draw, then it turned into something more.

Not only does he have his own brand, but Fabian also helps create designs for veteran companies and other military logos. His work was featured in the Marine Corps League booth during Fleet Week this year, he said.

The name for the brand originates from Fabian operating a howitzer, and 155 mm is the ammunition size for the cannon.

“To keep some tradition of my military background,” he said, “and kind of make a brand to express myself, I came up with that.”

The field artillery, a branch of the military responsible for providing long-range fire support to ground forces, has earned the nickname “King of Battle.” Fabian Serrano takes inspiration for the imagery of skulls and cannons in his work from the unit he served in.

Based in Riverside, WUN55 designs are familiar to LA Fleet Week vistors. Many people walking around the festival on Monday were wearing the merchandise.

“It’s overwhelming,” Fabian said about Fleet Week. “The amount of people that walk in and the amount of people that I come across that I hadn’t seen in 15 to 20 years, I’ve come across so many guys that I served with.”

Fleet Week is a great way to connect with people part of the military community, the brothers said.

“It’s kind of nice to see all this,” Albert said, “kind of makes me miss the old days, you know getting back in uniform. Would I be able to, probably not, but it does bring back memories.”

“It’s nice to see so many people out here,” Albert added. “So many people in uniform, not just military, but the police and fire departments. It’s nice to see because we all have that same bond. We all look out for each other, brings back that camaraderie. Having your brothers next to you. I literally had my brother with me — a little bit more deeply than normal — but we all have that bond.”

People can visit the website at wun55.com or follow them on social media @wunfifefife.