(5/21) Daniel Webster once said: "Let their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored." That is exactly what Dale Shields wanted in 2021, when he went in front of the Town Council and suggested honoring those who had served with the banners.

The criteria for a banner was established as anyone who served and was discharged honorably through active duty or the National Guard. It also included any deceased members of the military. Any family that wanted their loved one on a banner was able to purchase the banner through the Sons of the American Legion.

The banners can be seen on West and East Main Street, as well as South Seton Avenue. According to town manager, Cathy Willets, the town is trying to expand the banners to North Seton. They are waiting for permission from Potomac Edison to put banners on the telephone poles. "As of right now, all available spaces have been filled with deserving veterans," she said, "but we are sure that more will be interested in honoring the veterans in their families."

Town Council President Tim O’Donnell explained that the Commissioners have been on board with the idea since Shields proposed it two years ago. When asked recently about the banners, O’Donnell said, "The program to honor community veterans with individual banners is very successful. Participation has increased each year since Dale Shields proposed the idea."

Several service members honored on the banners were killed in action. One of those was a 2000 Catoctin High graduate, First Lieutenant Rob Seidel, who was killed in 2006 during the Iraq War. Rob’s mother, Sandy Seidel, explained the process. "It was easy. We just had to send a picture, along with information like branch, dates of service, and conflict to Dale Shields."

Seidel continued, "It is nice to see how many of our townspeople served. When I see Rob’s banner, I know someone will see it and maybe say his name and remember that everyone who puts on the uniform signs a blank check made payable to The United States of America for an amount up to and including their life. We need to do all we can for those who sacrificed so much for all of us. Freedom is not free."

One banner honoring Francis X Elder, who served in the Army, and was killed in France in 1918, can be found at the American Legion Post, which was later named after him. Elder was killed one month before World War 1 ended. Elder was "the first Emmitsburg boy to enlist and the first to be killed in action."

Another service member who was killed in action and honored by a banner is Joseph E. Hemler. He served in World War II in the Asiatic-Pacific theatre. He was wounded during the invasion of Luzon in the Philippines and later succumbed to his injuries.