Committee reviews Veterans Day after-action and staff proposes dedicated 'Hometown Hero' plaque at memorial

A committee member who served as the liaison for the Veterans Day tribute presented an after-action summary and asked whether the names of 'Hometown Hero' award recipients are being added to the Veterans Memorial.

"I was told, resoundingly, yes. But I have not seen them on there for the last three or four years. Is that something that the city is gonna do, or is that something the individual is still responsible for submitting?" the member asked.

Brian Dunnigan, director of administrative services and operations, told the group staff has a historical list of past recipients and is exploring adding a separate, stand-alone plaque at the Veterans Memorial to recognize the hometown heroes year to year. "We do have a historical list of all of the past recipients," Dunnigan said. "We are looking at adding another plaque out there somewhere at the memorial, that would recognize these are the individuals who have been awarded the hometown hero. That would be separate from what's already out there."

Staff said the plaque could be updated annually and would be separate from the existing memorial plaques that list veteran names. Committee members asked staff to investigate how names are submitted and whether families or the city should be responsible for adding names; staff said it would follow up and report back.

The committee did not vote on any formal action during the discussion; staff said it would research options and return with recommendations.