WESTERVILLE, Ohio — “Military is obviously near and dear to my heart,” said Cathy Noskowiak, a Westerville resident and volunteer for the city’s military banner program.
What You Need To Know
- The military banner program was started by a Westerville resident
- She wanted to honor her son and other veterans from the community
- The banners will be produced around March
- They will be on display from May through the Fourth of July
Three years ago Noskowiak thought of an idea to honor active and retired veterans from her city.
First on the list was her active duty son, Marine Staff Sergeant Gary Noskowiak Jr.
“Saw this in a lot of small towns, thought it was a great idea,” said Noksowiak. “My son graduated from the Marine Corps in December of 2011, and I thought, ‘Westerville has always celebrated their heroes and their wonderful community.’ We need it in Westerville.”
Through the program, Noskowiak has also had the chance to meet 95-year-old Irwin Kuhns, a Westerville resident and Navy veteran of World War II and Korea.
“And I lucked out the whole war,” said Kuhns. “I got on my boat and I’m captain of that boat.”
Kuhns piloted that boat that took U.S. Marines to the shores of Iwo Jima.
Decades later, he still serves as a tour guide for the U.S.S. LST 325, a landing ship that was used on D-Day.
He has his own banner, but when he visited the banners, he and Barbara, his wife of 67 years, were on hand to turn in the paperwork for this year’s program, honoring their son, Thomas, also a Navy veteran.
“He knows about it because we had to get some information from him. He’s just, he’s all excited, he’s all excited and I’m glad to have him,” said Kuhns.
Noskowiak said the reception has been positive, and she hopes the military banner program continues to be a valuable learning experience for every generation.
“It’s a great time to stop and remember the sacrifices that were made by these men and women who have served in the past and are currently serving,” she said. “At that point, he was deployed in Africa, and I hadn’t seen him in 13 months, so it was kinda neat to be able to stand there and say hey, and actually see him.”
The city of Westerville is currently accepting applications for the military banner program. The production is expected by March and the banners will be on display from May through the Fourth of July.
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