Recognizing the service, commitment and sacrifices of military veterans, the City of Erlanger has launched an effort to honor the armed forces through a city-wide banner program.
The Erlanger Salutes Armed Services program is once again offering banners that will be displayed Memorial Day through Veteran’s Day on street utility poles throughout the city.
“We can never do enough to thank those who served our country in the armed forces,” said Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette. “These banners are a meaningful and important way to help ensure that we recognize, remember and salute that commitment as we travel on our city’s streets.”
The purpose of the program is to recognize and honor individuals on active duty, living, retired, and deceased service personnel by displaying the honoree’s photo, name, and armed service branch on a banner.
The banners will be displayed on Commonwealth Avenue from Baker Street to Dixie Highway and on Dixie Highway within the Erlanger city limits.
To qualify for the Erlanger Salutes Armed Forces Program, the following qualifications must be met:
● Must be Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, or honorably discharged from one of the branches of U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard).
● Must be a current or former resident of the City of Erlanger or have an immediate family member residing or working in the City of Erlanger (spouse, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, son, daughter, aunt, uncle).
Each banner will be displayed for three years, after which they will be returned to the sponsored family. A maximum of 60 banners will be on display per year. The cost of a banner is $100. To learn more about the program or to purchase a banner click here.
Erlanger Councilman Tyson Hermes is honoring his father with a banner. Rudy Hermes was just 17 years old when, with the permission of his parents, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He became a Machinist Mate 3rd Class and worked on the construction and commissioning of the USS Midway, which at the time was the largest aircraft carrier in the world.
Councilman Hermes said that, like so many other World War II veterans, his father never sought recognition for his service.
“If someone said ‘thank you for your service,’ my Dad would usually say, ‘don’t thank me. Be thankful for one of the 400,000 that never came home,’” Councilman Hermes said. “This program is important because I don’t believe our younger generations appreciate the sacrifice that is made by so many military men and women, and their families, currently, or in the past. The banners help instill a sense of pride in our community among the relatives of those honored.”
Erlanger resident Jim Perry, 75, is having a banner erected in his honor. Perry, who has lived in the city for nearly 50 years, served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War era, from 1963 to 1966. His son and granddaughter also served in the military. As a tribute to Perry and all military veterans, Mayor Fette donated Perry’s banner to him.
“What the city is doing for military veterans is fantastic,” Perry said. “I would like to see more cities do it. It is important that we always remember the service and sacrifices of those who served in the military, especially those who never made it home. As a veteran, I thank for the city for this honor.”