Banners have been hung paying tribute to veterans from the area. (Submitted photo/Debbie Schwartz)

By Mat Barrett

Lest We Forget

‘Honour Our Veterans’ program unveiled in Watson

Oct 1, 2019 | 10:01 AM

Veterans in Watson and area will be honoured throughout the town for about the next six weeks.

The ‘Honour Our Veterans’ Banner Program is underway and will run until shortly after Remembrance Day. The idea to run it in Watson came from a former resident who brought the idea to the Watson Legion. Dick and Debbie Schwartz are the chairpersons for the program, and Dick said they thought it was a great idea.

“It’s great for our town,” he said. “It’s great PR for our Legion, and it’s great for our veterans to honour them, it’s the right time of year.”

The banners are five feet by two-and-a-half feet and feature a large picture of the veteran, the branch they served with, and the wars they were a part of. Most of the veterans being honoured with banners served in one of the two World Wars or the Korean War. Dick said they have about 20 banners hanging around Watson right now, but they are ready to take more applications.

“We are going to put the feelers out,” he said. “We feel quite confident that people will see these and they’ll say ‘boy, my grandfather, or father fought, can we get him up there?’ Sure, we’re going to go until we run out of room.”

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The banners are hung on light standards and will be there each year. Those who sponsored a banner have done so for a five-year stretch.

Schwartz said when people see the banners, she hopes they understand the sacrifice made.

“When you look at them, and see their age, and how young they were, it’s so important to remind us all what Remembrance Day is all about and what they gave to our communities and our country.”

Applications for banners can be picked up from the Watson Legion or Town Office.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca