As executive director and co-creator of the Veterans Art Institute (VAI), Laura Taylor, a Navy veteran, often thinks of creative ideas to inspire her next art project. And when Captain Morgan decided to relaunch its limited-edition military design bottle to honor veterans and active-duty personnel, one of the world’s leading rum producers reached out to Taylor to craft the perfect image. For this task, she didn’t have to search far and wide for inspiration; she simply thought of her late father, Vietnam War veteran Daniel Meisenhelder. Meisenhelder served in the Army and was a member of C Company, 15th Battalion, 9th Infantry, spending a tour in Vietnam from 1967-1968. The Army veteran died on April 3, 2013, about three weeks shy of his 67th birthday. Another goal in Taylor’s design was to “reflect unity across service branches and the camaraderie among those who serve,” according to a press release.
Laura Taylor, left, with her father Daniel Meisenhelder at a Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2011. (Laura Taylor)
The bottle, toting Captain Morgan’s popular spiced rum flavor, was released in May to commemorate National Military Appreciation Month and will be available throughout the summer in a few select states: New York, Indiana, Kentucky and Florida. From the sale of each bottle, $1 will go to the VAI to support art programs for active-duty military members and veterans.
