Vermilion Parish Cities to honor heroes by flying banners for veterans

Vermilion Parish is honoring its heroes with banners now displayed in downtown Abbeville and on Charity Street. By next week, banners will also be installed in Kaplan, Erath, Delcambre and Maurice.
The Rotary Club of Abbeville initiated the project a year ago. On Thursday, Rotary members hosted a special ceremony at the American Legion Hall in Abbeville to welcome veterans with banners and their families.
The Rotary Club sold 103 banners, including 60 from Abbeville.
Beverly Richard Suire and her husband, Glenn Suire, attended the ceremony. Both displayed banners honoring their fathers, and Glenn also had a banner recognizing his own service in the Marines.
Beverly’s father, Augustine “Gus” Richard, passed away at age 78 about 30 years ago. She requested a banner to honor his World War II service.
“I am proud of him,” she said.
While preparing the banner, Beverly found an 83-year-old photo of her father. Although the quality was poor, she submitted it to Rotarian Todd Chauvin, who used his graphic design skills to restore the image.
When she saw the finished project, with a photo of her father, she said, “I cried.”
Her reaction was shared by many loved ones who viewed the completed banners. The banners will remain on display until the Fourth of July, after which city workers will remove them and the Abbeville Rotary Club will store them until next year.
Also present at Thursday’s ceremony was the individual who first saw similar banners in another town and believed Abbeville and the parish would be ideal places to honor heroes from the past, present, and future.
John T. Landry and his family visited Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to see the historic Pearl Hotel. Upon arrival, he noticed banners displayed on street poles.
Inspired by this idea, Landry gathered background information from Bay St. Louis and contacted individuals in Abbeville, which ultimately led him to the Abbeville Rotary Club.
“The Rotary Club embraced it,” said Landry. “It all came out fantastic. I am proud of them, and I want to thank them. A lot of work went into this.”
Each banner features a photo of the honoree and indicates any medals received, such as the Purple Heart or Silver Medal, which are displayed around the photo. One veteran’s banner includes the ship he served on during World War II.
The oldest veteran on display is Whitney J. Romero, who served in World War I. His banner is hanging in front of the old post office in Abbeville.
Chauvin, a veteran of the Air Force and Army National Guard, led the project, designed the banners, and assisted with sales throughout the year.
“As someone who has served, I knew I wanted to do this no matter how long it took me,” Chauvin explained. “Every day was a new discovery.”
Chauvin thanked Abbeville’s public works director, Chris Gautreaux, and his team for promptly installing the 60 banners last week. He also expressed gratitude to the parish’s mayors for allowing city workers to assist.
“This project does not happen with just one person,” Chauvin said. “This happened because people care, because communities came together, and because we have leaders, volunteers, city workers and those who decide it is all worth it.”
Chauvin explained that Hero banners are available for purchase year-round. To order a banner for next Memorial Day, visit the Rotary Club website at www.rcabbeville.org/hero and complete the online form. The cost is $300 for three years. After three years, families may keep the banner or pay an additional $300 to extend its display for another three years.
“This is just the first year, and I think it was a success. I expect it to grow because what better way to honor our heroes than with a banner,” said Chauvin.