Photos: Banner Day
On June 19, Guilderland Town Hall hosted the second annual Hometown Heroes program where new banners were unveiled and some of the new ones were current Guilderland Police officers.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Cheers for heroes: Banner honorees, like Frank English, in foreground, stand as their names are read off inside Guilderland Town Hall on June 19 as the standing-room-only crowd applauds. Five Guilderland police officers who served in the military were among those honored. Banners will be displayed for Nick Ingle, Nicholas Jaeger, John Laviano, Rafael Nieves Jr., Matthew Schiller, Tylor Stevens, Thomas Darby, English, Antonette Spallane, Justin Halloran, Aristeas Tzovaras, Anthony Viola, Timothy Ward, Douglas Zautner, Thomas Zyniecki, and David Worden. The banners will hang at Town Hall, Tawasentha Park, and the Guilderland Public Library.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Never forgotten: Rafael Nieves Sr., with tears in his eyes, unveils a banner for his son, Army Specialist Rafael Nieves Jr., who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011 at the age of 22. This is the second year of Guilderland’s Hometown Heroes program, sponsored by the chamber of commerce and the town.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Precious cargo: A Guilderland town worker hangs a banner honoring Specialist Rafael A. Nieves Jr. who was killed by enemy fire while on a mounted patrol in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. The father of two young children, Nieves Jr., at his funeral, was described as a hero by a fellow infantryman. “He died saving the lives of everyone in our convoy, including mine,” wrote Private First Class Eric Peterson in 2011 soon after Nieves’s death.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Old Glory: A giant American Flag hangs between Guilderland and Guilderland Center fire departments’ ladder trucks outside the Guilderland Town Hall on June 19.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
“They have a deep love for their country,” says Guilderland Police officer Nick Ingle about veterans and current soldiers as he speaks during the Hometown Heroes celebration last Wednesday at Guilderland Town Hall.