Banners for Heroes

TICONDEROGA | As Memorial Day approached, the Hometown Heroes banner project came to Ticonderoga last week, as images of local soldiers went up on town utility poles as a proud band of veterans and supporters followed along. Francis "Porky" Lamb said the response from the community has been tremendous, and that about 80 banners will be hung with the images of local veterans. "Everyone who sees them is very impressed," he said. "It's not just for us, but for the kids growing up to see." The banners, according to a program brochure, serve as a "living memorial to those service men and women from the towns of Ticonderoga, Hague and Putnam." The project, which has a national following, began in the region in Willsboro and has since spread to a number of other communities in the Champlain Valley. They are available to current service members or honorably discharged veterans with roots in the community. They cost a little over $200, but some veterans and others have stepped up to pay for banners that honor those who could not afford one. "A veteran will never be left behind," Lamb said. A dozen or more veterans and supporters looked on as a bucket truck from Dedrick's Tree Service hung banners during the multi-day project. There were poignant moments, including the raising of a banner for Liam Brown, who was murdered in Ticonderoga last year. Brown's banner is displayed on the same pole as his father, Bill. For some, particularly Vietnam veterans, the recognition is long overdue. "Nothing was done for them when they got back home," Lamb said. "They didn't even get a cup of coffee." Prior the the banners going up, a group of veterans met at Elderwood to plot strategy. The group meets at the senior living facility routinely to talk about veteran issues and enjoy each others company. There are representatives of every branch of the military and every war from World War II on. "We started it a couple of years ago; we get a lot out of these meetings just talking with each other," Lamb said. They talked about where the banners would go — they are placed, where possible, in a location of historical significance, such as a family home or business — and gave Porky a good natured ribbing about the amount of work performed by his wife Linda. When the prospect of rain on banner-hanging day came up, Vietnam vet John Burke asked, "Did your sergeant ever cancel a march because it was raining?" "No," replied Navy Seal Mitch Cole. "He would wait until it started raining and then make us go."

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