(Submitted photo/Carol Pederson)

By Ben Tompkins

Remembrance Day

Star City Legion hang veteran banners

Nov 9, 2022 | 5:29 PM

For the first time in its history, the Town of Star City will have a few handfuls of veteran banners along one of its streets.

The banners were placed in honour of Remembrance Day, by the Star City Legion.

According to membership chair Carol Pedersen, this was something they wanted to do for quite a while.

“We’ve had this idea for about five years and it never managed to garner much attention, but there were more members that were keenly interested this year,” Pedersen said.

“I’m very excited and pleased that we got it off the ground and that we’re going to keep it rolling, we’re just in the initial stages.”

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There are a total of 13 individuals, which include Stanley Herbert Cole, Vernon William Byers, Richmond Deck, Wesley John McCoy, George Godson, William Newell, Laverne Hector Morrison, Newby Thompson, Keith Reinhart, Jean Walz, Harry Russell, Harold Skjerpen, and William Colin Thompson.

(Submitted photo/Carol Pederson)

Pedersen explained it’s very powerful for the Legion to be able to share the stories of these brave men and women.

“I have had so many people phone and thank me for putting them up, it is extremely meaningful. It is our focus to remember and the banners are such a key way of bringing it into people’s focus going forward.”

This year the banners were hung up at the end of October and will only be up for a few weeks.

Next year, however, the Legion hopes to get them up in September and have a banner walk, as they tell short stories about each of the veterans to school children, members of the community, or whoever is interested.

“Keeping their memories alive and letting people know what they did, how they sacrificed and served, that is our goal,” added Pedersen.

That goal will be served even greater next year, as the Legion has already received commitments from 10 other people who want banners up, in 2023.

“It’s just extremely powerful, this was a perfect time of the year to get them up and it’s just the beginning. I believe when we get talking to the younger people in the community, they’ve only been up for 10 days, and people have been reaching out to me steadily. I think it’s a very positive thing,” she said.

Star City adds to the list of many communities across Canada, joining in these Remembrance Day initiatives.

Local communities as close as Melfort, Nipawin, and Watson have also recently joined.

Pedersen mentioned it’s truly a great thing to witness.

“It’s a very positive movement and a step forward. It is just a huge way to pay a tribute to a veteran, promote remembrance of that veteran and introduce the veteran to young people,” said Pederson.

“The ones that were killed overseas, they didn’t get to know their nieces and nephews that grew up here. They’re kind of the unknown guys and until this point, they’ve been a name called out on the honour roll on Remembrance Day, and so this is putting a face to the name.”

The banner project was organized by the Legion, however, it was fully funded by the families of the veterans.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8