A former Vietnam Marine platoon commander is leading another mission. This time, it’s in the Boothbay peninsula to honor local veterans. Jim Singer is the chairman of American Legion Post 36’s veterans’ banner project. For the past two months, Singer has worked with the local Legion organizing a tribute celebrating veterans’ service since 1941. 

Singer suggested placing 30-inch-by-60-inch banners with local veterans' photographs beginning at the U.S. Route 1 and Route 27 intersection in Edgecomb and ending in Southport. He suggested the tribute after recently vacationing in the Adirondacks and seeing nearly two dozen communities honor local veterans with similar banners. The Legion is seeking support from all four peninsula selectboards. Singer previously received approval from Boothbay’s and Southport’s selectmen and achieved the three-quarter mark of his mission Aug. 8 by receiving Edgecomb selectmen’s approval. Singer told selectmen the project is financed through contributions. Each banner cost $125 and supporting brackets cost $65. 

The official tribute begins next May with placing banners, but a trial run is expected this November. Banners will be placed prominently in each town for a three-week period. The initial plan was for a small number of banners already purchased to be displayed for the trial run, but that was before an unexpected number of orders.

The project began with an anonymous donation purchasing 10 banners. Singer explained the donor wanted to honor eight living local World War II veterans. But once the public heard about the tribute, donations started to roll in. “There is so much interest in this project we have almost 30 checks in the bank. I have other commitments for nine more in Southport. So, we could have close to 50 banners ready for November,” Singer said. 

Those interested in sponsoring a local veteran or making a contribution should contact committee members who reside in each town. Joel Morley is Edgecomb’s representative. He’d like to see the veterans’ tribute as part of the town’s 250th anniversary celebration next year. He will also answer questions on the project. “We want to include everyone. If you can’t afford to purchase a banner for a family member, we can help you. What we need from families are photographs with the veteran in uniform,” he said. 

Besides permission to hang the banners, Morley and Singer had another request. In Boothbay and Southport, the public works departments will place and remove the banners. Edgecomb does not have a public works department, so they asked selectmen to seek volunteers for the project. 

Singer is also asking selectmen in all four towns to seek pole permission from Central Maine Power and other utilities. Edgecomb Selectman Michael Maxim suggested one letter with signatures for all four boards seeking pole access for the tribute. 

Selectmen agreed to seek volunteers for placing and removing banners. Singer has spent summers in Southport since the 1960s. He moved here in 2005. As a Legion member, he has produced Boothbay Region Television veterans’ slide show tribute shown on Memorial and Veterans’ days. He reported the region has over 400 living veterans, with over 600 dying in the past decade.