The “DeKalb Hometown Hero” banners will return to downtown DeKalb to acknowledge the Memorial Day weekend. This is a joint project of the DeKalb American Legion Post 66 and the City of DeKalb. This program was created to pay tribute to the brave men and women from DeKalb, Illinois who are serving, have served, or have given their life to our country in one of the United States Armed Forces.
After a very successful first year (2019) of honoring over 40 local DeKalb area military and veterans, the banner program will be expanded to include an additional 20 more local names for 2020. The Hometown Heroes banners will be displayed on Locust Street and on 2nd and 3rd Street in Downtown DeKalb.
To be eligible for a ‘DeKalb Hometown Hero’ banner, the individual to be recognized must reside or have resided in the City of DeKalb and call DeKalb their hometown. Individuals must have served in any of the following branches (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, and Coast Guard) and must also meet one of the following conditions
- Currently, be an active service member
- Be an honorably discharged veteran
- Died in the line of duty
To Register for a Banner
To register for a banner, request an application from The DeKalb American Legion. A member of the family or veteran must complete the Application Form and the Release Statement. Return the completed forms along with the requested information and your payment (once approved) to:
DeKalb American Legion Post 66 Attention Post Commander 1204 South 4th Street DeKalb, IL 60115
Please Note: Due to local requirements, the American Legion is not open to the public, but interested people can contact Commander Daniel Gallagher at 815-762-5872 and request information about the application process. There is a limited number of locations available, a selection committee appointed by the Post Commander will accept applications and review the application to include both current serving military and veterans from the various branches.
Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis by the Military Veteran selection committee. Once the application is verified, the Commander will notify the applicant/family of the approval and have the banner created. Once a selection is made the military member or veteran family will be contacted and the $100.00 fee and other information will be required.
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