Hometown Heroes banners on display this month

Bill Bengtson, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·3 min read

Nov. 13—Several generations of warriors are being publicly honored this month in downtown Aiken and downtown North Augusta, and also alongside Virginia Acres Park's walking track, with the relatively new tradition of having Hometown Heroes banners on display.

North Augusta's banners are spread along Georgia Avenue, and Aiken's downtown displays involve Richland Avenue, Laurens Street, Park Avenue and several other locales.

The current crop involves 237 veterans in Aiken and 73 in North Augusta. Some are double-sided, in terms of having the same veteran depicted on each side of the banner. Each includes a picture of the veteran being honored shows his or her branch(es) of service and such designations as "World War II" or "GWOT" ("Global War on Terrorism").

The banners, a project of the Aiken County Veterans Council, usually involve a family member and sometimes a friend. In the case of the late Leroy Farr, a Navy veteran, a banner is in place in Virginia Acres Park via the efforts of four couples — all Cedar Creek neighbors — who knew him and his wife, Babs, through their friendship and fellowship at St. John's United Methodist Church.

It's a family affair for Gloverville resident Julia Busbee, who has one banner up honoring her husband, Air Force veteran Walter Busbee, and another in memory of her father, Robert Busbee, who served in the Army Air Corps. Both are alongside the walking track.

The custom began locally in November 2019, through the leadership of retired Army nurse Linda Caldwell, one of Aiken County's most active advocates for veterans. Caldwell, in traveling to New Jersey in June 2019, saw her father-in-law's banner. Around the same time, Air Force veteran Bob Pettit, who was North Augusta's mayor at the time, was visiting Chincoteague, Virgina, and saw banners in place.

The idea was brought up locally and won quick approval from Aiken City Council, North Augusta City Council and Aiken County Council.

Joining Farr and the Busbees among the newcomers in the current crop of banners are Bill (Bubba) Bryant, Tom Tilghman, Sanford Bryant, Willie Upson, Charles F. Wienbeck Sr., Ralph Dale, Carlis Bryant, Troy A. Callahan, Fred Campbell, Jesse F. Canaday Sr., Harry Bryant, Jim Windham, Michael Ian Greene, Gene A. Jones, Jay Martin, Ernest Woodward, Joshua Boyer, James Britton, John C. Callahan, Michael Martin, Matthew Carpenter, G. Robert Price, Avery H. Snipes Sr., Harold Cumbee, Aaron Woodward, Alfred Miller, Richard Penix, Vincent Byrne, Bert Dewitt, Donald Jackson, Mason Johnson Jr., Fitz Lee, Barry G. Jones and George Murray Dominick Sr.

The program is promoted as "a personal and visible way to honor military veterans two weeks prior to Veterans Day and again before Memorial Day through July 4," with a tax-deductible cost of $85 per veteran (or $170 for both sides of a banner). Eligibility is extended to honorably discharged veterans who currently reside or have lived in Aiken County. Details are available at aikencountyveterans.org.