The Warsaw Salutes You Military Banners recognition program is accepting applications for the seventh cycle of banners, which will go on display in November for Veterans Day.
Applications and payments of $65 are due no later than Oct. 1. People can go to the Warsaw Salutes You Facebook page to request an application, as well as see previous banners, said Megan Stone, who is continuing the program after her daughter, Elizabeth, went to college.
Elizabeth started the program as Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy project in 2020 during her junior year at Warsaw Community High School as a way to honor her brother, U.S. Navy Lt. Nate Stone, who was serving on the USS California.
The banners will be installed by Veterans Day, said Miechi Petro, Elizabeth’s KYLA mentor.
Stone said 25 banners will be done during this round and will be placed along East Market Street for a year. The banner will be returned back to the family after the year is finished. The banners will be first-come, first-served.
To qualify, honorees must be a former or current resident of the greater Warsaw area and must be serving or have served in the United States Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard or National Guard. The banner will be 17 inches wide by 40 inches tall, made of a heavy vinyl, printed on both sides and will display the service person’s photograph, full name and branch of the military they are serving or served in.
Through the first six cycles of the banner program, 125 veterans were honored, Stone said. Previous honorees include Civil War Gen. Reuben Williams and Mark Skibowski, who retired as a captain from the Air Force.
Eras honorees have represented include World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Persian Gulf War and the Global War on Terrorism.
The program continues to be well received among the community, Petro said.
Stone said she and Petro feel they have an invested interest in the program as military moms and because the sense of building community and there are patriots within the Warsaw community.