In honor of Memorial Day, Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara unveiled this year’s Hometown Heroes. The initiative, led by Councilwoman McNamara and Westhampton VFW Post 5350, began last year and aims to recognize and honor our local military men and women, who have served or are serving, by displaying personalized banners with their picture and military service information in Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays.
“While the Hometown Heroes Banner Program wasn’t invented by the Town of Southampton, it’s done differently here than anywhere else. We didn’t want these banners to simply be a decoration on Main Street so we moved them into the park where they could receive the honor they deserve. The bios are my favorite part of this program, because they tell the stories of these great heroes” stated Councilwoman McNamara, liaison to the Veterans Affairs Committee.
At either end of the park, there is a QR code that links to a webpage where you can either read or listen to the stories of those being honored.
Bill Hughes, Commander of VWF Post 5350 announced that next year the program will expand to include military men and women who may not have resided in the Town of Southampton. A Town resident would be able to sponsor a banner for a relative or friend who was not from Southampton.
A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of the banner is administered by Westhampton VFW Post 5350 to benefit local veterans’ organizations or to assist families with a banner purchase.
The banner program will run from Memorial Day through Veterans Day at Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays. All sponsors will keep their banners at the end of the program period.
For more information about the Hometown Heroes Banner Program, please visit: https://www.southamptontownny.gov/1793/Hometown-Heroes-Banner-Program or contact Jamie Bowden at hometownhero@southamptontownny.gov.
Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara, Judge Patrick Gunn
Local veterans
Connor Cantwell
Bill Hughes of the VFW Post 5350, David Agsteribbe of the Hampton Bays American Legion, Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara, Judge Patrick Gunn, and local veterans
