MAMAKATING - It’s a “tremendous honor,” former town supervisor Janet Lybolt said during public comment of Mamakating’s new Hometown Heroes Program. 

During the June 6 town board meeting, Marc Fowler from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Edward Maier Memorial Post # 4947 gave the Mamakating’s town board a presentation of the program that plans to honor veterans with banners throughout the town. Lybolt also noted during her public comment that this program was originally brought up before the Covid-19 pandemic, but it was stalled due to the shutdown. She also thanked Fowler and Mike Rocker for their work developing the program. 

Like other municipalities in the area, the VFW aims to provide a two-foot by 3-foot weather resistant banner featuring a Mamakating veteran’s picture and name. This banner would be installed onto a pole in the area that the family chooses within Mamakating, the village of Bloomingburg, and the village of Wurtsboro, Fowler explained. 

The cost of the banner would be $82 for the family of the veteran, and the town or village will subsidize $80 for a total cost of $162 including shipping for each banner, Fowler said. Families will be able to fill out an application for a banner and will need to include a picture, name, and other information related to military service. Fowler explained that once the application is filled out, a profile on the veteran will be created, and every step of the process will be tracked and check marked. 

Fowler also explained that the VFW will be advertising and will have a booth accepting applications at the upcoming Wurtsboro Founders Day Fair. They will also be coordinating with local newspapers to advertise. Fowler said that they would like the first round of applications to be in by January 1, and they will coordinate with the villages and town before each bulk order and are aiming for convenience. 

Fowler recommended that the banners be displayed from May until November to cover Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day. He said that they didn’t want to display the banners in the winter as they want to achieve longevity with the banners. He noted that the winter weather will deteriorate the banners quickly. 

Town Supervisor Mike Robbins stated that he already contacted the Department of Transportation for permission to display banners on Route 209, and he contacted Orange & Rockland to make sure poles will be safe and ready for the banners. Board members then asked a few questions about installation. Mike Rocker from the VFW approached the podium and explained that there is a kit for each banner that can be installed to easily put up and remove banners. The time to install each banner is not known yet, Rocker said, but they are working to communicate with the town/villages, so everything is ready when the time comes. 

Councilman John Rufer asked if there is an estimate for how many banners will be ordered. Rocker said he thinks there will be more than the quote they have now, but there are more than 700 known veterans in Mamakating. Rocker said, “the more the better.”

Former councilman and the County Commander for the American Legion in Sullivan County, John Lacey gave his full support for the program during public comment. However, despite his support, he said he still had some questions about the program. He asked if the VFW will be the sole approver of applications, and he suggested that applicants be verified as honorably discharged. Many people put on a hat and a uniform to try and claim respect, so each applicant should have to provide a DD-214 form that states their dates of service and honorable discharge, Lacey suggested. 

He also asked who would be paying for putting up the banners and taking them down, and who would be responsible for storing them. Robbins stated that the town will be taking care of displaying and removing banners and will be storing them. Robbins noted that he doesn’t know specifically what the villages will be doing, but he is sure that they will be doing the same. 

Lacey ended his comment by stating that he trusts that there will not be anyone to disrespect the veterans and protest this program and wished the VFW luck with it. 

Other residents such as Adrienne Jensen from the Bloomingburg Restoration Foundation and the Town Historian Virdanna Lawrence praised the program, and the board voted unanimously to accept the Hometown Heroes Program. 

Lybolt suggested during her comment for residents to take a ride through Montgomery to see some banners. 

“They look superb,” she said.