Salem veteran banners to honor county's service members

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Beverly Bradbury holds a sample banner that will be posted in downtown Salem as part of the Hometown Hero Banner Project. She is still looking for people interested in ordering banners to feature Salem County servicemen and women. (Staff Photo by Alex Young/South Jersey Times)

SALEM — Beverly Bradbury comes from a military family. Her dad was in the service and she has several nephews that are currently in the armed forces. Even her fiancé has served.

So when she was in Bradford County, Pa., one day a few years ago and saw banners hanging around town honoring local servicemen and women, she knew she had to bring the idea home to Salem County.

“I thought it was the right thing to do,” she said.

Bradbury brought the hometown hero banners to Salem City a few years ago and, after a brief hiatus, they will be returning to Broadway in the county seat just in time for Memorial Day.

There are enough lampposts lining the main drag to hold 36 banners, and Bradbury has already gotten requests for five new ones. The rest will go out on a first-come-first-serve basis. The banners include a picture of the veteran, their branch of service, the era they served in, their home town and the name of the person who sponsored the banner.

Bradbury said sponsors can buy a banner for $200, all of which goes into printing and hanging costs. The program makes no money off of the sponsoring of banners.

The parameters for the program are pretty broad. The veteran being honored can come from any generation and can have served in any war. The only requirements that must be met are no dishonorable discharges and the vets must have a connection to Salem County.

“They can either have lived here when they served, live here now or just have family that live here,” Bradbury said.

Anyone can buy a banner, and the veterans featured on them don’t have to be a family member. Bradbury said that some organizations will pool money together and ask her to find a veteran to honor.

Going into this new round of the hometown heroes project, Bradbury was worried she might have to reuse some of the old banners, but even just a few days into the new year, she’s already been getting a great response and expects the 36 lamp posts to fill up quickly.

“The inaugural banner project was a great success,” she said. “We just want our second year to be just as big of a success.”

The banners will be displayed between Oak and Seventh streets until Veterans Day. When they are taken down, they will be either returned to the families or sent to the veterans’ home towns for additional display.

To sponsor a banner, go to www.salemcountyhometownheroes.net and fill out the two application forms.

Not only does Bradbury hope to honor some of the individuals who fought for the country, but she hopes the banners show off just how much the county itself has offered.

“This project would allow individuals, organizations, and businesses throughout the county to come together as a community,” she said. “The banners will serve as a reminder of our country’s history and what Salem County has contributed to our nation.”

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Contact staff writer Alex Young at 856-451-1000 ext. 550 or alexyoung@southjerseymedia.com

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