Hometown Heroes: Program will use banners to honor local veterans

A trip to visit a location known for its service turned into an idea to honor local veterans.
John T. Landry and his wife, Sandra, traveled to Bay St. Louis, Miss., to check out the Pearl Hotel. Along the way, Landry noticed banners hanging that honored area veterans. The banners included a photo and information about the veteran.
“We get into Bay St. Louis,” Landry said, “and I see these banners, these veteran banners. I pulled off to the side of the road and started taking pictures.”
Landry served in the U.S. Marines, as did his late father-in-law, Young A. Broussard, the former mayor of Abbeville. The banners, and what they represented, remained on Landry’s mind, even as he returned home to Abbeville.
“This veteran thing was just eating at me,” Landry said. 
He called the city hall and the chamber of commerce in Bay St. Louis to find out more information. Landry discovered that the banners originated from the American Legion in Waveland, Miss.
“I called the guy in charge,” Landry said. “He gave me the whole scoop about everything.
Now, Landry is ready to help use the information to bring the Hometown Heroes Banner program to Abbeville and other towns in Vermilion Parish. Landry recently spoke to the Rotary Club of Abbeville about the program. After speaking with local elected officials, Landry is looking to partner with the Rotary Club to sponsor and implement the program.
“I think Rotary can take this bull by the horns,” Landry said. “The city of Abbeville has agreed to put them up and take them down periodically, but you can be the entity and the conduit for this thing to work. Someone has to man the website.”
Rotary Club President David Ashley said there is definitely a willingness to participate.
“The city would do it,” Ashley said, “but the city can’t take money for something that is not utilities or other services for the city. We have a Venmo account and Todd Chauvin, who can do the website. There’s a way that we can do this. 
“I think this is a really great program.”
Details of how the program would be implemented in Vermilion Parish are still in the works. Website infrastructure is in place through the Hometown Heroes Banner program, but would be adapted to fit the local program. In Mississippi, family and friends paid an initial cost to put up the banner, with an additional cost for the two years that followed. After three years, the banner is given to the veteran or their family.
“If this is something Rotary wants to do,” Ashley said, “we can proceed further and figure it all out. “I think there are many who will jump all over this.”
Landry is eager to be one of the first.
“I can’t wait to buy a banner for my father-in-law,” Landry said. “I just think it’s a wonderful program.”