The Hometown Heroes banners along Dune Drive in Avalon will serve as a model for Sea Isle City's program.
Patriotic banners that honor military veterans may be gracing the main entryway into Sea Isle City as soon as next spring.
A day after commemorating Veterans Day during its annual ceremony, Sea Isle is thinking of other ways to pay tribute to the men and women of the armed services, Mayor Leonard Desiderio said.
Desiderio announced during a City Council meeting Tuesday that he would like for Sea Isle to decorate lamp posts on both sides of the John F. Kennedy Boulevard gateway with banners that honor hometown heroes.
A wave of banners would form “a loop” along the length of JFK Boulevard from the bridge into town down to the Promenade and back on the other side of the road up to Joe LaRosa Way, next to Sea Isle’s VFW Post 1963, Desiderio said.
“We’re in the early stages, but I would like to have it done by springtime,” he said of the banners in an interview after the Council meeting.
A number of details still must be worked out during upcoming discussions with VFW Post 1963 Commander Joe McLenaghan, including the selection process for the veterans who would be honored by the banners, Desiderio explained.
The city also must decide whether there would be a sponsorship charge for the banners or whether they would be free, he added.
“We’ll do some research,” Desiderio said.
He also noted that Sea Isle would look to neighboring Avalon’s military banner program as a model. Avalon’s “Hometown Heroes” banners hang from light posts along Dune Drive in the central business district.
The military banners in Avalon include the veterans' names, photos and branch of service.The banners honor both deceased and living veterans who have ties to Avalon. They include the veteran’s name, a photo of them in uniform, their branch of service and a mention of any wars or conflicts they were in during their military service.
There is also a mention of the people, businesses or organizations that sponsored the banners, which often includes family members of the veterans who are honored.
The proposal to have military banners in Sea Isle came up at the Council meeting during a public discussion of the possibility of the city creating other ways to honor veterans throughout the year.
One member of the public, Ed Dixon, an Ocean City resident, urged Sea Isle officials to consider celebrating the achievements and heroism of local veterans during the entire month of August.
Dixon noted that Ocean City has dedicated August as “Veterans Month” and hopes that Sea Isle would do the same.
“Hopefully, you’ll think favorably on it,” Dixon told the Council members.
Desiderio responded that Sea Isle would consider the possibility of having a month-long celebration in August, in addition to all of the other special events the city already holds to honor veterans throughout the year.
“We, in Sea Isle, honor our veterans every day,” Desiderio said.
Dixon, a member of Ocean City’s VFW Post 6650, explained that Ocean City selected August as Veterans Month because August does not include the traditional, major celebrations in honor of veterans, such as Veterans Day or Memorial Day.
He also said there is the hope that Veterans Month will attract the attention of the news media and the big summer crowds because it coincides with the peak tourism season at the Jersey Shore.
Ocean City resident Ed Dixon urges Sea Isle's Council members to dedicate the entire month of August in honor of veterans.
