Banners in Follansbee offer a daily reminder of veterans’ service
MANY HONORED — A total of 26 banners featuring the faces of Follansbee veterans were presented Thursday to their families so they could get a close look and take photos before they were raised above Main Street. Launched in 2018 through the sponsorship of the veterans’ families and others, a total of 68 banners can be found along the street. -- Warren Scott
HONORING A LOVED ONE — Mark Falbo and his sister, Marianne Gilham, surveyed a banner honoring their late father, Michael Falbo, who served in the Army during World War II. It was one of 26 banners honoring local veterans and presented, so their families could get a close look, Thursday at the Follansbee Community House. They will join 42 others above Main Street. -- Warren Scott
MANY HONORED — A total of 26 banners featuring the faces of Follansbee veterans were presented Thursday to their families so they could get a close look and take photos before they were raised above Main Street. Launched in 2018 through the sponsorship of the veterans’ families and others, a total of 68 banners can be found along the street. -- Warren Scott
HONORING A LOVED ONE — Mark Falbo and his sister, Marianne Gilham, surveyed a banner honoring their late father, Michael Falbo, who served in the Army during World War II. It was one of 26 banners honoring local veterans and presented, so their families could get a close look, Thursday at the Follansbee Community House. They will join 42 others above Main Street. -- Warren Scott
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FOLLANSBEE -- The many drivers and pedestrians who use Main Street each day are greeted with a reminder of just a fraction of the numerous men and women who have served in the various branches of the military at times of war and peace but always prepared to defend their country.
That greeting is in the form of 68 banners flown over the street and bearing the images and names of Follansbee residents who, through the years, have committed themselves to that duty.
Since 2018, the banners have flown through the sponsorship of family members and others who sought to preserve their memory and honor their service.
On Thursday, many family members and in a few cases, the veterans themselves, gathered at the Follansbee Community House were presented the flags before they were raised above the street.
Mayor David Velegol Jr., who was assisted by city personnel, noted the event allows family members to get a close look at the banners and if they wish, to have their photos taken with them.
The Ohio Valley Veterans Memorial Squad also was on hand to offer a military salute to the veterans, including the playing of taps for fallen service members.
It's a gesture the group has performed at numerous funerals for area veterans.
Mike Highfield, the squad's commander, said it's fitting because "All veterans have signed a blank check made payable to their country for up to and including their life."
Velegol said because of the great demand for the flags and limited poles along Main Street, 11 of the 24 presented on Thursday had been flown before but were temporarily removed, through a random selection, to accommodate the addition of others.
The remaining 13 banners were new additions.
Among many attending was John Panza, a 102-year-old Army veteran, who was among thousands of American and Canadian troops who defended the Aleutian Islands, a U.S. possession near Alaska, from Japanese invaders at the start of World War II.
Trained and equipped for jungle warfare, his division was ill prepared for the area's cold climate, he noted in an earlier interview, adding there were no trees to provide cover from enemy fire that pierced the fog-filled air.
Historians report the fighting culminated in a banzai attack on the Allied Forces and brutal hand-to-hand combat from which few Japanese survived. But about 550 Allied troops also perished.
Asked how he felt about the banners, Panza said, "I think it's a good idea. The veterans did something and it's good to recognize that."
Among many families represented at the event were the adult children of the late Michael Falbo, a World War II Army veteran.
His daughter, Barb Matello, said her father spoke little about the war but she was told he was at Pearl Harbor.
It's possible that Michael Falbo, a private, was stationed at Wheeler Field, a base for the Army Air Corps, a precursor to the Air Force.
Like many Navy vessels anchored near the Hawaiian island of O'ahu, the base was targeted in the surprise attack by the Japanese and many of its planes were destroyed, though about a dozen pilots were able to take to the air and return fire on the invaders.
Barb's sister, Marianne Gilham, said of the presentation, "It was wonderful. I'm glad Follansbee honors its veterans."
Barb also was on hand to see a banner honoring her late brother-in-law, Louis Matello Jr., who served in the Army during the Vietnam War.
She noted another banner honors her late father-in-law, Louis Matello Sr., a World War II prisoner of war and Purple Heart recipient.
Matello said while her own father didn't share much about his military service, his love for his country was clear to her and her siblings.
She said of him and other veterans they encountered as children, "They were proud that they had served and proud to salute the flag."
Asked how her father would feel about being remembered through the banner, Matello said, "He would be so proud. They all would be."