Five years ago, buses of U.S. Army Reserve troops drove past our building on their way to deployment. The men and women who serve, and have served, in our military make many personal sacrifices in their service to our country. We thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice, if we knew when they were being deployed, to stand out there and hold banners and flags so those troops knew they had our support?”
This was the birth of our Banners for Our Troops program. Through this program we have been able to print and provide more than 200 banners, at no charge, to military families welcoming their loved ones home from service.
Recently, we became aware of the Veteran’s Parade being planned by Brimfield Police Department’s well-known Chief David Oliver. Again, we thought what a perfect opportunity to show our support and love for those who have given up so much to serve our country.
Denise Dennewitz, our marketing director, contacted Chief Oliver to see if they would be interested in passing out banners to the military families in attendance. The Chief was excited by the offer and the rest, as they say, is history.
Parade day was damp and rainy, but it didn’t stop 300 veterans and more than 1,000 spectators from attending. Members of the Visual Edge IT Ohio team attended the parade and passed out more than 300 “Welcome Home” banners. It was a truly moving experience. An article about the parade in the Akron Beacon Journal mentions how many veterans of the Vietnam era did not receive warm welcomes when they returned home from service. Their inclusion in this parade allowed us to show our gratitude for their sacrifice so many years ago.
You can see more photos of the parade on the Brimfield Police Department’s Facebook page and read the comments of those who attended, including the post below. You may want to grab a tissue and plan on attending the parade next year! We’ll be there again, with banners in tow to recognize this area’s deserving military personnel.
Do you have a family member or neighbor returning home from military service? If so, visit our Banners for Our Troops information page and learn how you can welcome them home with a free banner from Visual Edge IT Ohio.