The Norwich Hometown Heroes banners recognizing local veterans, have gone up around downtown. A banner dedication ceremony to be held on Flag Day, Sunday, June 14 at 10 a.m. at East Park. (Photo by Rebecca Laibowitz)

NORWICH – The Norwich Hometown Heroes banners have gone up around town.

Coming up on Flag Day, Sunday, June 14, at 10 a.m. the Norwich Hometown Heroes program will be holding a banner dedication ceremony at East Park for all the new 2026 banners.

They will also be showcasing ten Revolutionary War soldiers from the area as America's 250th celebration draws near..

There are approximately 90 banners being hung this year, all of which are new for 2026.

According to Norwich Hometown Heroes Committee member, Chenango County Veteran Services Officer, and retired Air Force Senior Master Sergeant, Joe Coe, they have displayed over 300 banners since the programs inception.

Recognizing local veterans

“These veterans that we've been displaying for the last four years are members of the community, graduates from the community. It's recognizing the past, present, and future veterans of the Norwich School District and the Norwich Area,” said Coe.

The banners will hang on the streets until Veterans Day, serving as a reminder of the service members, living and dead, that have come from the community.

“It's a way for people to remember us and to commemorate us,” said Chenango County Veterans Services Officer and retired Marine Corps Sergeant, Megan Ferrera.

“It's hard to put into words what it means to be a veteran, especially when you've served in a war, like Vietnam or World War I, World War II, really any of them.” said Ferrera,

“And a lot of veterans, when you leave the service, they have a hard time dealing with that and grasping it and feeling lost and forgotten,because you don't have that brotherhood anymore that you had there. Maybe some of your friends passed away in wars or you just go back to your hometowns and you never see them again,” said Ferrera.

She added, “These banners are important, and as a civilian walking around the town, it helps you identify who those veterans are.”

Anyone can request a banner for a Norwich veteran by filling out an application. While it is closed for 2026, at the park on Sunday, there will be applications available for the 2027 season, you can also find them online. Applications for 2027 will be accepted until the end of February and banners are made at no cost to the applicant. Coe says that so far each year all of the banners have been from new applicants.

After the banners have been hung for the season and taken down, the Norwich Hometown Heroes volunteers carefully clean and pack them away for future use.

Secretary of Norwich Hometown Heroes and Deputy Historian of Chenango County John Antonowicz, said, “The city DPW, the Department of Public Works, they do all the hanging for us, and we couldn't do this without the city's support.”

After most of the banners for this year have been hung, on Sunday, June 14, or Flag Day, the public is invited to East Park at 10 am for a ceremony recognizing the veterans of the community. Members of the Hometown Heroes Committee will give speeches about some of the veteran banners on display, as well as reading the roster of the 90 throughout the town.

“I do feel like the veterans are a forgotten community. A lot of people know what we do and they appreciate it, but they don't really understand exactly who we are and what we've been through,” said Ferrera, “Even if a lot of people don't show up to this event, it's all of us being able to come together. Veterans get to see each other. We get to share stories.”

“It's for people to recognize them as the way that they should be,” she said.

Remembering the revolution

New this year, are 10 banners dedicated to Revolutionary War soldiers from the area. While they won't have pictures of these soldiers, the banners will feature Chenango County's America 250 logo along with the names of the soldiers. These banners will be mixed in with the rest of the 90 banners and hung around town in different spots.

One prominent Revolutionary Soldier that will be highlighted on Flag Day is a Colonel William Monroe.

Whose former cabin site from all of those years ago, is now home to the county courthouse, where you can also see a historic marker about it.

The marker reads, “First Log Cabin in Norwich was built on this site about 1790 by Colonel William Monroe, Drummer Boy of the Revolutionary War.” According to writings by local history author Sharon Donahe, Monroe's family strongly supported the revolutionary cause and he joined the fight at 16 years old, the minimum age to be a soldier at the time, after serving as a drummer boy from the age of 14. After the war, Monroe and his family settled in Chenango County, where he would over the years serve as County Sheriff and State Assemblyman. To hear more about the interesting history of the Revolutionary War soldiers from Norwich visit the park on Sunday.

Norwich Hometown Heroes works with the Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS), the Chenango Veteran's Services Office, the Chenango County Historian's Office, and the Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) to make the program a success.

The Norwich Hometown Heroes Program is run by a committee of around 12 people who all volunteer their time to bring the banners to life. “It's a nice thing for the community. It gives us a sense of place,” said Antonowicz.

“The community is welcome to come and be part of the ceremony. It's an honor and a pleasure to recognize our veterans from the Norwich area,” said Coe.

The banners honoring veterans from the area can be seen along South Broad Street, North Broad Street, West Main Street, East Main Street, and the Historic District on Rexford Street. This will be the fourth year that the banners have gone up around Norwich.

For updates on Norwich Hometown Heroes program Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090761432323 They also have information available at the Veterans Services Office, American Legion, and VFW.