Carpentersville wants to honor residents who have served in the military by displaying banners featuring their images during November for Veterans Day.
“We hope to fill all 52 banner spaces along Main Street,” said Tania Gomez, assistant to the village manager, who is spearheading the effort.
The banners will recognize residents and village employees who served in the military, both living and deceased.
Village Manager John O’ Sullivan called it a “great idea and a noble thing to do.”
The idea was proposed by Village President John Skillman, who said he saw similar banners honoring veterans along Route 47 in Elburn earlier this year and thought it was an outstanding program.
Elburn’s display was put up in May for Memorial Day, and the town plans to display them again for Veterans Day, according to published reports.
Skillman said one of the banners will feature his late father, also named John Skillman, who served stateside in the Army during the Korean War era.
The elder Skillman, who also served as village president, died in 2021 at age 88. After retiring as the village’s police chief in 1985 following a 25-year career, he was an elected village trustee from 1985 to 1989 and served as president from 1989 to 1997.
Some of the banner work will be done in-house by the print shop at the public works building before being sent to a local signmaker, Skillman said.
Jerry Christopherson, who heads True Patriots Care, a nonprofit group that recognizes and supports veterans, is helping with the project.
Christopherson said Mark Rakow, who manages the two Dundee Township-operated cemeteries, is looking through their databases for the names of veterans from Carpentersville.
He also will be contacting local American Legion and VFW posts to see if any members would like to be recognized with a banner or if they know any current or deceased village residents who could be featured.
There are about 1,000 military veterans currently living in Carpentersville, according to the 2021 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
The banners will be made for free for those who are featured, Gomez said.
Applications must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 29. The information requested includes:
Name of the service person as it should appear on the banner;
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Years of service, if known;
Branch of military in which the veteran served;
A high-resolution military headshot.
“The plan is to put up the banners for the month of November and for them to be kept by the village to use again in the years to come,” Gomez said.
To apply or for more information, go to www.cville.org/547/Veteran-Banner-Program.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.