CHENANGO COUNTY – Every year on Nov. 11 the men and women who make up the United States Armed Forces are honored for their service to our country, but this year, the communities of Otselic Valley and Sherburne held events that were slightly different than the norm.
On Friday,Otselic Valley’s Elementary School invited local veterans to join them for a special edition of their weekly morning program. The students, teachers and staff prepared a program to honor all of their local heroes.
According to one of the program coordinators, sixth grade teacher Robin Leinbach, 21 past and current members of the armed forces attended the celebration, which has been growing every year since the school began the program.
Fifth and sixth graders took the stage, and discussed their thoughts about veterans. “War isn’t the best thing, but when it is critical, it’s got to happen,” said fifth grader Wesley Pickles. “Our entire country is grateful for the veterans who gave their lives to protect our country,” said fifth grader Christopher O’Hara.
The 21 veterans in attendance introduced themselves to the students, and many thanked them for the program. Each veteran was given a certificate of appreciation and was invited to a reception following the event.
Two days later, in the Village of Sherburne, American Legion Post 876 held its Veterans Day ceremonies, but in addition to honoring the men and women who serve in the armed forces, Post 876 conducted a “blue banner” program to acknowledge the sacrifices made by the families of soldiers everywhere.
According to the American Legion web site, “A Blue Star Service Banner displayed in the window of a home is an American tradition. The banner lets others know that someone in the home is proudly serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. As Americans do their best to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and the ongoing war on terror, the Blue Star Service Banner tradition reminds us all that war touches every neighborhood in our land.”
The Blue Star Banner was designed and patented in 1917 by Army Captain Robert L. Queissner, who had two sons serving in World War I. The banner quickly grew in popularity, and became a symbol indicating that a family member was serving in the armed forces. Although the tradition of hanging the banner in a window was popular during WWI and WWII, in later years the tradition was not as widely embraced. According to Gail Jones, who helped to promote the Sherburne Legion program, the legion is now trying to “rekindle pride in our service men and women.”
At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, Post 876 handed out ten Blue Star Service Banners to the families of service members, saying,“Please accept this Blue Star Banner on behalf of a grateful community.”
Jones explained that while the tradition was started for service members who were deployed, the Legion is now using the banners to acknowledge all service members in the community. Currently, Post 876 is distributing the banners to families of service people in Sherburne, Earlville, North Norwich and Columbus. They hope other area legions will also embrace the Blue Banner tradition.
For more information about the Blue Star Service Banner Tradition or if you have a loved one in the service and would like to receive a banner, call the Sherburne American Legion at 674-9201.
Legion Commander Sonny Jones thanked everyone for coming to the celebration, and thanked all of the veterans for their service. “On behalf of the Sherburne American Legion, I thank all of you. We understand the extraordinary sacrifice it takes to protect our way of life,” he said.