To the Editor:

The Waddington Veteran Banner project started in the depths of Covid with a conversation between Champion-Hobkirk American Legion Post 420 Commander Mike McIntosh and Waddington Mayor Mike Zagrobelny. Commander McIntosh was asked if Post 420 would be interested in joining forces with the Village and Town of Waddington to recognize Waddington’s deceased veterans on banners hung from utility poles throughout the Village. After a meeting with Jim Fitzgerald of Impact Promotions of Troy, NY to explain the way the banner program has worked in other communities and see the quality of the product, the response from Post 420 was an enthusiastic yes.

The Legion felt that it is only fitting that the first banners should recognize Waddington’s men who gave their lives for their country in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Waddington’s Town Square on the corner of Lincoln Ave. and LaGrasse St. is the site of the War memorial and a stone there recognizes eight of Waddington’s war dead. Commander McIntosh’s vision for the site was a backdrop of banners recognizing those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

Those banners will be officially dedicated at Waddington’s Annual Memorial Day Observance on May 30, 2022. Zagrobelny said, “It’s one thing to see names carved in stone. It is another thing altogether to connect a name with a face, a face captured in the prime of life and on the way to an unknown fate. It is awe inspiring”

Running a program like this is an enormous task. Interested community members quickly stepped up to form a committee for the design of the banners and the implementation of the program. The committee includes McIntosh, Zagrobelny, Butch Rutherford, Tracey Putney, Supervisor Alex Hammond, Matt Daley, and Sharon Brady. Waddington’s banners are a simple design that pays tribute to the veterans alone. The banners feature a picture of the veteran, years of service, rank, branch of service, and medals such as Purple Heart, Gold Star, Bronze Star, Silver Star, Navy Cross, and Air Force Cross. When asked if the banner should include “Waddington” at the top, Mike McIntosh replied “We don’t need Waddington at the top. Everyone should know where you are. Let’s just save more room to recognize the veteran!” The committee was in complete agreement and the design was finalized. The Gold Star banners would be first priority and banners for deceased veterans of Waddington come next. Impact Productions donated the first of the Gold Star banners with Post 420 paying for the other nine Gold Star banners. Community and family members from far and wide have stepped forward to sponsor Veteran Banners for their deceased loved ones who served our country. To date, in addition to the ten Gold Star Banners, 29 additional banners have been ordered to honor Waddington’s Veterans. Those banners will be hung throughout Waddington beginning this summer.

Making Commander’s McIntosh vision a reality has not been easy. Some of the Gold Star families still live in the area so obtaining a picture and information was relatively easy for some of the men. It was much more difficult to find information on several of the men. Hard work by the committee and especially Tracey Putney finally paid off with pictures and information for each of the men. James Duffy, Impact Promotions’ graphic designer, skillfully manipulated each picture to look as good as possible even if it were a clipping from a newspaper. In addition to finding lost photos, Tracey Putney also compiled biographies of each of the fallen to be read at the Memorial Day observation and preserved at Post 420. The poles for the ten Gold were purchased by Post 420. The Town of Waddington installed the poles in the park and the veteran banners will be hung throughout Waddington with the joint support of David Putney, Waddington Highway Superintendent and Chris Reagan, Village DPW Foreman.

The organizers wish to thank the numerous supporters and sponsors for their assistance in making this event and memorial a reality. The efforts will continue far into the future with the establishment of a fund to maintain the flags at Waddington’s cemeteries. Commander McIntosh remarked that “This project is the most important thing he has done in his decades of service to Post 420 of the American Legion. We must never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and it is the job of the living to teach the living of all ages the sacrifice, courage, strength, and generosity of those who served.”

Mayor Michael Zagrobelny
and the Waddington Village Board