By Richard Caines

SALISBURY — Salisbury could soon join other cities across Maryland in honoring military service members and veterans through public banners.

The Salisbury Hometown Heroes banners, if approved at a future City Council meeting, would be placed on light poles throughout the city with a front and back view.

During an Aug. 5 work session, the council and officials discussed how the proposal would work — whether the banners would be up temporarily or permanently and their locations.

Councilwoman April Jackson said during the work session that the banners would be a wonderful way to give back to those who gave so much of their lives in serving the country.

Jackson said other areas of the state like Federalsburg, Hurlock, Sharptown and Snow Hill have the displays and thinks Salisbury and possibly Wicomico County participating would be a “magnificent way to honor our veterans.”

“These banners will be in celebration of our service men and women,” Jackson said. “It is a living tribute to recognize them all.”

Under the proposal, local business Minuteman Press would make the banners, and each family or person would be responsible for the cost of the banner.

“This is obviously close to my heart for a lot of reasons,” said Jeff Merritt, Minuteman Press owner and Wicomico County Councilman. He is also the founder of Operation We Care. “The ones that we do for Hebron and Fruitland, they are 18 inches wide and three feet tall. They can be bigger. I wouldn’t recommend that they be smaller because, keep in mind, you’re driving down the road looking at them and you want them big enough where people can see them while they are driving down the road.”

There was a discussion during the work session about making the Hometown Hero banners a permanent feature or only placing them during holidays such as Memorial Day or Veterans Day.

“They’re not just something that you can just put up and take down,” Jackson said. “They’ve (veterans) been used to that. When they first came out of the military, they were used like that. They weren’t celebrated. They weren’t given the appreciation and the respect they should have been given. And this is now a time where we should be giving back to our veterans as a city.”

VFW District #16 Commander Calvin Mitchell, Sr. told the council that the proposal is “another way of showing us that you care.”

Arts, Business & Culture Director Allen Swiger told the city council that currently there are only 65 possible locations downtown. He said his department is currently working on a downtown banner policy, but there will be a lot of other people with an interest in the banners, so they are trying to create a “fair and balanced" approach. But he called the Hometown Hero banners “great initiative,” saying there are light poles all over the city, including the parking lot at the civic center where the Wicomico County War Memorial is located.

“Whether it’s memorializing somebody or celebrating somebody, anything of permanence you’ll eventually run out of space, so understanding how we would do that,” City Administrator Andy Kitzrow said.

Councilwoman Jackson said whatever they must do to make it work, she “wants to see it happen" with a celebration.

“We can tweak it and work it however, but I want to see this come to pass,” Jackson said. “They deserve it.”

Reach Managing Editor Richard Caines at rcaines@iniusa.org.