230 more to be honored in Hometown Hero Banner Program
May 16—More than 350 banners featuring hometown Hamilton military heroes will be displayed this spring and summer.
The 2024 class of the Hometown Hero Banner Program will see 230 more soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen honored along the streets of Hamilton. In the inaugural year in 2023, there were 126 80-inch-by-30-inch vinyl banners hung on selected streets in Hamilton from May until Veterans Day.
Last year, Hamilton Councilman Tim Naab said he hoped this year would be better than the first year, and he believes that to be the case. He said the response in the program's first two years "is just amazing."
"The pride in our community, the pride of people in the surrounding states that called me from Arizona, they called me from Florida and they wanted to commission banners for their heroes," Naab said, a member of the Hometown Heroes Banner Committee.
The banner committee seeks applications from November to March — by or on behalf of veterans, active service members, and those who have died either while they served or after they've served — to be honored with banners hanging from the city light poles. Those honored are either from or formerly from Hamilton.
The 2024 class of banners features soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
All banners, which have a five-year lifecycle, are cleaned and stored during the winter months to prolong them.
On Saturday, the committee will host a rain-or-shine dedication ceremony for the 2024 banner program at noon at Armstead Park, on the southwest corner of Main and D streets, with speakers and recognizing those killed in action in service to the country. Organizers expect a couple hundred people to join the hour-long celebration.
Because there are significantly more banners to be installed, there are more streets that will see banners hung. The banners will be on Brookwood Avenue, Main Street, High Street (between 6th Street and Ohio 4), B Street, and Grand Boulevard near South Hamilton Crossing.
"That will give us room to be able to have thoroughfares for people to see the banners, respectfully admire the banners," Naab said. "The killed-in-action soldiers, the place for their banners is still the High-Main Street bridge."
Those Hamiltonians killed in action will continue to be honored along the High-Main Bridge, including the off-ramp onto Park Avenue and the on-ramp from Ross Avenue. There are 19 total being honored, which includes the 11 banners that were installed last year.
"Seeing more than 350 banners as part of this program is incredibly impactful," said Katie Braswell, vice president of the Hamilton Community Foundation, which provides funding to and helps facilitate the banner project. "It not only showcases our community's dedication to honoring our local members of the armed forces but also highlights our collective commitment to lifting them up."
A digital copy of the location of the banners will eventually be on the city of Hamilton, Hamilton Community Foundation and Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce websites, though hard copies are expected to be available at Saturday's ceremony.
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DEDICATION CEREMONY
At noon on Saturday, the Hometown Hero Banner Program Committee will host a rain-or-shine dedication ceremony for the 2024 banner program at Armstead Park, on the southwest corner of Main and D streets.
The hour-long event will feature speakers and recognize those killed in action in service to the country.
