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Hero banners more than a decoration in RR
Hero Banners consist of a service photo of the individual and their name as well as their rank.
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As Memorial Day approaches, the new Rio Rancho tradition of hanging Hero Banners may seem like a small thing to remember service members, but to families and veterans, it is much more.
Applications for residents to have a hero banner hung for their family members are open with an April 10 deadline. Jaime Gallardo, Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce director of membership, is responsible for getting the project going.
"They are to honor veterans, but more importantly, to honor veterans' families. Some of those banners are people that are currently active duty. Others are people that have passed and others that have paid the ultimate price serving this country and defending this country," he explained.
Gallardo says the project started because a chamber member had lost a family member. They had seen the banners in Santa Fe and asked why Rio Rancho didn't do something similar.
He then got the city involved, and the tradition has continued for the past two years.
"Rio Rancho is a very veteran-friendly city. There's a lot of veterans who live here, and the feedback has just been phenomenal. I did not anticipate so many folks and all the thanks and kudos that we get for sponsoring this program. It's been really awesome. More importantly, it gives a real sense of pride," Gallardo said.
He added the banners are about families and the stories that go with the banners.
"Some of the stories that I've heard of of these folks who put the banners up for their loved ones ... it hits you. It makes you appreciate and honor what those folks do," he said.
Gallardo says the banners are also a way for the community to remember past conflicts and take in the severity of current conflicts.
"If it wasn't for those folks, who knows how history would have turned out, who knows what the present would be today, who knows what this country would look like today," he added.
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He says wars like World War II, Vietnam and even current conflicts, while contentious, did provoke social change internationally, nationally and locally.
"And so I think it's important that we definitely honor those who who serve this country and who made history," he added.
Banners are displayed along Highway 528 on the center median poles from Westside to Southern boulevards.
To apply, visit the chamber website.
