A banner day: Stand by Your Veterans set for July 1 in Marion
Organizers of the Marion County Military Banner Campaign are encouraging local residents to join in an effort to honor the veterans whose images are on the banners displayed around the city of Marion.
The Stand by Your Veterans event is scheduled for July 1, according to Terry Cline, owner and operator of Challenge Productions and a staunch supporter of the banner campaign. Families and friends of the veterans depicted on the banners are asked to gather at the location of the banner for one hour from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 1.
Cline said the turnout was very good for the inaugural Stand by Your Veterans event held on Independence Day weekend in 2022. He said attendance at the event held this year on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day was lower than last year.
"I thought it would be a great sight to see and reflect well on our community. It was pretty good for the first year," Cline said. "We had a mediocre turnout for Memorial Day, but I'm hoping for a much bigger crowd on July 1. It'll be nice to see a big crowd come out just to honor our veterans."
Cline said he believes the Stand by Your Veterans event is important because it shows respect to those veterans who have passed away and he hopes it is an inspiration to those who are currently serving in the military.
"It's just the patriotic thing to do," Cline said.
Randy Drazba, a United States Army veteran and secretary of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1117, said local residents with loved ones who are veterans have responded positively to the Marion County Military Banner Campaign and have supported it very well.
"Last year, we put up 305 banners. Over the winter and the early part of this year, we sold about another 200 banners, so we have just over 500 banners hanging on utility poles around Marion," Drazba said. "The community has really embraced this project very well. We put them up for Memorial Day and they'll stay up until just after Veterans Day and then we'll take them down and put them into storage until next year."
Eligible veterans to be recognized through the campaign are those who were residents of Marion County upon entering active-duty service or veterans who currently reside in Marion.
A video that Cline wrote, directed, and produced in support of the Marion County Military Banner Campaign won a gold Remi Award in the charitable/non-profit category at the 56th annual Houston International Film Festival. WorldFest-Houston, as the prestigious film festival is commonly known, is dedicated to championing the work of independent filmmakers. The 2023 festival was held April 25-30 at Cinemark Memorial City theater in Houston, Texas.
The veterans banner campaign was initiated in 2021, Drazba said, and was modeled after “a very successful campaign in Kenton.” The communities of Mount Gilead in Morrow County and Galion in Crawford County also has a veterans banner initiative.
Those purchasing banners for veterans are required to fill out an application form, provide a photograph of the veteran, and provide a DD214 military discharge document or another valid military discharge document.
The vertical banners measure 2 feet wide by 3 feet high and have a lifespan of 3 to 4 years. Each banner features the veteran’s photograph on it. Those purchasing banners receive two replica banners.
The banners are displayed on utility poles along the streets of Marion and remain on display from Memorial Day through Veterans Day. The City of Marion places the banners on the poles.
For information about the Marion County Military Banner Campaign, go to its Facebook page Marion Military Banner.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Stand by Your Veterans set for July 1 in Marion with 500 banners
