By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Mayor Dorinda Borer, alongside dozens of West Haven veterans and their families, dedicated 45 banners honoring the city’s hometown heroes in Bradley Point Park on Saturday.
The patriotic crowd, many wearing shirts and hats emblazoned with their service branches, gathered along the Veterans Walk of Honor on Long Island Sound as Borer thanked veterans for their service and dedicated the newly draped “West Haven Proudly Honors” banners.
The mayor said the Hometown Hero Banner Program is a tribute to West Haven veterans, both living and deceased, including the city’s lone Medal of Honor recipient, World War II Army Pfc. William A. Soderman, who distinguished himself in December 1944 while defending an important road junction near Rocherath, Belgium.
“Each of these 30-by-60-inch banners tells a story of dedication and sacrifice,” said Borer, speaking in front of a black granite memorial in commemoration of Soderman, who died in 1980. “From the entry points to Bradley Point Park down to the very path we stand on, these banners feature West Haven residents who served across all branches of the United States armed forces and all wars. Living or deceased, these individuals represent the very best of who we are.”
Borer then read the names of all 45 servicemen, whose banners display their photo in uniform, their service branch, and the war or era in which they served, including Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The mayor called the banner program, announced in August, “a powerful, highly visible tribute to the brave Westies who served our nation with honor.”
The banners hang from lampposts along the seaside walkway.
“When you look up at these banners, you will see the faces of our neighbors, our friends and our family members,” Borer told the crowd. “They serve as a daily reminder of the price of our freedom and the strength of our community.”
Rick Spreyer, the mayor’s chief of staff, served as the master of ceremonies for the morning dedication, which was attended by West Haven Municipal Veterans Rep. Rich Deso, state Rep. Bill Heffernan, D-West Haven, and City Council members Gary Donovan, D-4, David Beaton, D-9, and Meli Garthwait, R-at large.
“Thanks to the hard work of Beth Sabo in my office, we are proud to display these banners through Veterans Day,” Borer said. “We will take them down for the winter to protect them, rehang them in time for Memorial Day, and keep them flying straight through to Veterans Day each year.”
The mayor added: “This program was advertised in the newspaper and on social media, which brought the 45 families forward to purchase the banners. But now that they are up and are strikingly beautiful, we have already been inundated with requests from more families asking for a Phase 2 so they can participate. I will work on this in 2027.”
See the complete list of banners here: https://www.cityofwesthaven.com/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=8916.
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