The above banner was created in the format of the Gratz Hometown Hero Banners, Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. It features a photograph of the Gratz Veterans’ Memorial, located on North Center Street in front of the Gratz Community Building.
The Hometown Hero Banners Program in Gratz was sponsored by the Gratz Borough Council, with Kylie Bender as project manager. In all, sixty-five Gratz–Lykens Township banners were created by Chad Phillips, whose sign-making business, Chad S Sign Grafix is located at 244 East Market Street in the borough. Chad S Sign Grafix can be contacted via phone at (570) 617-1130.
The banners were displayed in Gratz and nearby points in Lykens Township for a period of about two years, and then returned to their sponsors.
No booklet was created with pictures of the banners. The Lykens Valley Blog is grateful to Chad for providing digital files of all the banners and the individual veteran banners will be the subject of future blog posts. A list of all the banners is provided below.
Blog readers are encouraged to use these banner photos in published family histories and on web sites such as Ancestry.com and Findagrave.com. Information from family members or researchers will be added if provided in comments to the individual blog posts, or sent as separate e-mails.
GRATZ HOMETOWN HERO BANNER LIST
Blair A. Kissinger – U. S. Army – World War II
Blair Schoffstall – U. S. Army – Korean Conflict
Bobby A. Paul – U. S. Army – 1957-1959
Brian R. Sims – U. S. Army – Cold War
Bruce Bucher – U. S. Army – World War II
Byron “Hen” Bingaman – U. S. Army – World War II
Carl C. Daniel – U. S. Army – World War II
Clair “Pat” Ney – U. S. Army – World War II
Clarence “Cluck” Bingaman – U. S. Navy – World War II
Cyril M. Shade – U. S. Army – World War II
David E. Schreffler – U. S. Navy – Vietnam
Dennis Clair Ney – U. S. Army – Cold War/3rd Armored Cavalry
Derl Leo Rebuck – U. S. Army – World War II
Donald “Bupp” Bingaman – U. S. Army – World War II
Earl W. Starr – U. S. Army – World War II (December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946)
Elwood Kissinger – U. S. Army – Vietnam
Elwood Raymond Witmer – U. S. Navy – World War II
Francis E. Kobel – U. S. Navy – World War II
Gene B. Headdings – U. S. Army – Korean Conflict (1953-1956)
George L. “Jiggs” Reed – U. S. Army – World War II (April 1944 – April 1946)
Gilbert C. Koppenhaver – U. S. Army Air Force – World War II
Glenn R. Klinger – U. S. Army – Cold War (1959-1961)
Guy Rebuck – U. S. Army – World War II
Harold Edward Daniel – U. S. Army (1955-1957)
Harry Scheib – U. S. Army – Korean Conflict
Jack E. Shade Sr. – U. S. Army – Korean Conflict
Jay Trautman – U. S. Navy – Korean Conflict
John Bingaman Jr. – U. S. Navy – World War II
John E. Harris – U. S. Army – World War II
John Phillips – U. S. Air Force – August 1974 – November 1978
Jonathan M. Paskevich – U. S. Navy – Global War on Terror
James “Jolly Jim” Hepler – U. S. Air Force – Vietnam
Keith R. Klinger – U. S. Marine Corps – Cold War (1985-1989)
Larry E. Kissinger – U. S. Navy – Persian Gulf
Lawrence Kenneth Leitzel – U. S. Army – 1945-1972
Lester Roy Welker – U. S. Army – World War II
Mark W. Kessler – U. S. Army – World War II (February 1945 – June 6, 1946)
Mark Valentine Long – U. S. Navy – Vietnam
Mark Stroup – U. S. Navy – World War II
Melvin Herb – U. S. Army – World War II
Owen “Bevitz” Bingaman – U. S. Army – World War II
Palmer G. Dreher – U. S. Air Force – 1963-1967
Paul George Welker – Merchant Marines/U. S. Army – World War II (December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946)
Paul E. Wolfgang – U. S. Army – World War II C. O. C. – 415th Infantry
Ralph H. Witmer – U. S. Army – World War II
Ray C. Troutman – U. S. Army Air Force – World War II
Richard “Dick” Bingaman – U. S. Army – Korean Conflict
Robert Jason Cope – U. S. Air Force – Operation Enduring Freedom – Operation Iraqi Freedom
Robert Elwood Maurer – U. S. Army – World War II
Robert P. Stine – U. S. Air Force – Cold War – Persian Gulf – Global War on Terror
Rodney Charles Hartwig – U. S. Air Force – Vietnam
Roland “Zip” Hoffman – U. S. Army – World War II
Roy A. Neagley – U. S. Army – 53rd Airborne Infantry Regiment
Sean Wiest – U. S. Navy – March 1992 – March 1994
Shelyce Olivia Lowe – U. S. Navy – Global War on Terror
Stanley H. Klinger – U. S. Marine Corps – Korean Conflict
Terry Gordon Straub – U. S. Army – Vietnam
Thomas J. Weaver Sr. – U. S. Army – Vietnam, 4th Infantry
Tim Neiswender – U. S. Army – Global War on Terror
Tom Hartman – U. S. Marine Corps – World War II
Tyler Koppenhaver – U. S. Army – 2016, Presently Serving
Walter W. Welker – U. S. Army – World War II (1944-1946)
Warren Wolfe – U. S. Army – World War II
William B. Reed – U. S. Army – Korean Conflict, Killed in Action
William R. Shade – U. S. Navy – World War II, 6 years
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Assistance with this post was provided by David Hause.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.