American Legion banners to honor veterans in Lewes
American Legion Post 17 will honor Cape Region veterans by placing banners with their images on electric poles in Lewes.
Lewes Mayor and City Council and the Lewes Board of Public Works each recently granted the legion permission to move forward with the project. American Legion representative Kellie Bergen said up to 30 banners will be installed on poles primarily on Savannah Road in mid-May. In subsequent years, the banners will be put up prior to Memorial Day. They will remain on the poles through the Fourth of July.
The banners will go up early this year to coincide with the arrival of the moving Vietnam Memorial wall, which will be on display at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal May 16-22. The wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The banners will be about 2-by-3-feet, and include a photograph of the veteran along with the time they served, their highest rank achieved, and two medals or awards received. There will also be an accompanying website with more information about the veteran.
Each banner and its brackets will cost about $150. The one-time fee will be paid by a family member or friend of the honored veteran. The banners will be installed each year until they need to be replaced. At that time, the sponsor will have first right to purchase a replacement.
Councilwoman Bonnie Osler supports the program, but wants to deter other groups from approaching the city with similar ideas.
“I don’t want to open this up to the next 47 groups who want to put up banners,” she said. “I think veterans occupy a very unique position for all of us.”
The only hiccup in the approval process is the cost for BPW employees to install and remove the banners. BPW President Pres Lee said the BPW has a policy of not contributing to any nonprofit organizations, except the Lewes Fire Department. If the legion moves forward with the project, they will have to reimburse the BPW about $3,000 in labor costs.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
