The shirt that folds

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Adarius Petty
  • 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Creech Air Force Base, Nevada --  
As the art of paper folding, Origami was traditionally reserved for Japanese monks. Today, since paper is cheap, many people are attracted to the idea of learning how to fold origami figures. 

For some Airmen, Master Sgt. Timothy Serrano is known as the 432nd Aircraft Communications Maintenance Squadron first sergeant but to others he's the origami guru.

Years before he started transforming sheets of paper into small master pieces, Serrano's chance finding while in school changed him forever as he became fascinated with what he could create.

"I started doing origami in middle school, I found a book in the library one day about it and I was really intrigued by the different things I could make," said Serrano.

Even as a first sergeant, Serrano still finds spare time to create pieces here and there while continuing his search for more puzzling and thought-provoking art to make.

"As a first shirt I'm constantly busy but I always have some time," said Serrano. "I usually go online and look for interesting and challenging art to make; the hardest one
I've seen that I have yet to attempt is the coy fish."

Normally using dollar bills to make all of his pieces; he's created everything from a $3 crane to a $60 dragon. Still above all his creations, the dragon remains his favorite piece. 

The origami guru often creates pieces to be left as tips to servers while eating out.

"I actually offered it [the $60 dragon] to a waitress to pay for my meal which she declined," he said.

More recently while assigned to the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing, which flies the MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9 Reaper, Serrano has started creating a MQ-1 predator replica.

It originally was a spy plane but with some changes to the tail fin and the wings, Serrano was able to make it look identical to the Predator. The MQ-1 piece only took about $3 to make.

"It was nice to create something that can reflect the mission we do here every day at Creech," said Serrano.

Originating in Japan in the sixth century from China, it was the Japanese who first discovered the opportunities connected with paper as a medium for art. Other countries followed suit and ventured into various forms of paper folding.

"The more you make the more paper you have, so I try to gift a lot of the stuff I make to other people around the base," said Serrano about the gifts he creates for his fellow Airmen.