The Military Tribute Banner Program, put together by Calabash Nocha White American Legion Post 503, to honor veterans, active duty and reserve members, is up and hanging throughout the Town of Calabash for the next couple months.
Post 503 House Chair Glenn Christiansen and Post 503 Auxiliary Treasurer Mary Thorsten said they want the entire county to take part in the program, but they can’t do it alone.
“It’s a community service project,” Thorsten said. “It is to honor our veterans, period.”
Christiansen and Thorsten explained that they want the banners to be flown in different municipalities, however, other American Legion Posts and American Legions would need to be involved. They said they don’t want to approach towns that already have local veteran groups without the group’s permission or support.
“Ideally, it would be wonderful to have it throughout all of Brunswick County,” Christiansen said. “You know, if that could possibly happen.”
They explained that the banners don’t have to be purchased by an individual who was, or is, in the military. It can be purchased by anyone.
Christiansen said Thorsten will even meet with people to help them fill out the online forms to make it easier on those who aren’t tech savvy.
Thorsten said she will meet someone at Post 503, located at 10277 Beach Drive Southwest, Calabash, with her computer. All she needs is a photo and answers to questions, she added.
Individuals in the photograph for their banner must be in a military uniform.
“There’s a lot of veterans that live in the area, even if they don’t belong to a Legion or anything like that,” Christiansen said.
The banners are vinyl, colored and are purchased by individuals who want to display their family members who are, or were, in the military. The banners are made by Military Tribute Banners, a company operated by military members, veterans and their families.
The 24x48-inch full color banners will be displayed throughout the town of Calabash from May to the Fourth of July, and again from November until Christmas decorations go up. So, the banners will be up for both Memorial Day and Veterans Day in Calabash.
The Town of Calabash allowed Post 503 to hang a total of 45 banners for this year, however, they only sold 33 at the time of displaying them.
They said there are other items that can be purchased on the Military Tribute Banner website as well.
As for Carolina Shores, Christiansen said the commissioners are wanting to put up 25 banners in September. Thorsten said the Carolina Shores banners will come down when Christmas decorations need to go up, like in Calabash.
“It’s amazing, it’s starting to spread,” Christiansen noted.
“They’re going to start from the Town of Calabash and work their way towards U.S. Highway 17, so it blends better,” Thorsten said.
Each banner is $125. They explained that participating towns would not have to pay for anything — Post 503 just needs places to hang the banners up. They said that the brackets used to hold up the banners will be purchased and provided by Post 503.
Christiansen and Thorsten said the program is still new to them and that they are taking it one step at a time. Plans for next year and the allotted space in the towns are still in the air as of right now, they added.
“It’s still a learning process,” Thorsten said. “You know, we would like to go up the coast through Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle Beach…”
“It’s not a fundraiser — we’re not making any money off of this,” she added.
With each municipality having its own say, the timeframes during which the banners fly may differ from town to town if the program spreads.
Christiansen said the program is a way to honor local veterans, including active military members, and to make Post 503 more visible in the community.
Christiansen and Thorsten said they want local veterans to know there is support for them and for families of military members too.
“They don’t have to be members in order for us to love them,” Thorsten said.
She said they will only accept checks written to Post 503 or cash. She said after collecting the money, they pay the bill for the banner.
Before printing, she said the banner must be reviewed by the purchaser to ensure all details are correct. This will be done through email and has a specific timeframe depending on the company’s print time.
Other May events that Post 503 are hosting include: On May 24, Thorsten said they will be at the Town of Carolina Shores concert in the park with a table to take names as a waiting list for banners and on Tuesday, May 30, at 11:00 a.m., Post 503 will be having a Memorial Day service as well.
For more information on how to purchase or sponsor a banner, stop by the American Legion Post 503 at 10277 Beach Drive SW in Calabash or contact Mary Thorsten at (760) 421-1512 or email mayree1979@gmail.com.
To directly purchase a banner or find out more about the company, visit the Military Tribute Banners website at https://militarytributebanners.org/banner-programs.html
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