NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City of North Adams honored its own on Friday afternoon, unveiling 50 downtown street banners representing local veterans who served — and continue to serve — the community and the country.

 

More than 300 residents packed the front lawn of City Hall as the community took a moment to reflect on its "Hometown Heroes" during the morning unveiling ceremony.

 

"In a city like North Adams, service is personal. The men and women we honor today are not strangers to us. They are our neighbors, our classmates, our parents, our grandparents," Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the crowd. "... These banners are far more than names and pictures hanging along our streets. They are visible reminders of the values that define North Adams: courage, sacrifice, humility, duty, resilience, and the love of country. They remind every person who passes by that this community remembers our veterans."

 

The banner program launched exactly a year ago. Veterans Services Agent Kurtis Durocher opened applications in October and spent the next six months working with families to bring the project to Main Street and over the Hadley Overpass. 

 

"We gather to recognize the brave men and women from our community who have served or who are currently serving in the United States armed forces," Durocher said. "These banners are more than images. They bear a tribute to service, sacrifice, courage, and pride, and they remind us that the freedoms we enjoy every day have been protected by our neighbors, family members, friends, and Hometown Heroes."

 

Each banner features a portrait of a veteran alongside their military branch and dates of service.

 

Durocher noted that the program was something residents clearly wanted, pointing to how fast applications flooded his desk. He praised the volunteers who stepped up to get the banners made and displayed — including city firefighters and Mitchell Meranti of Wire & Alarm Department, who were installing them as late as Thursday night.

 

Durocher also spotlighted the McCann Technical School CAD and Metal Fabrication programs, which completely redesigned and improved the brackets on which the banners hang, saving the city a substantial amount of money. Additionally, he thanked the Drury High School civics class that designed a website compiling information and one-on-one interviews with the featured veterans.

 

"So, 30 years from now, when these students drive through the city," Durocher said, "they can say to their kids that they helped build this program. And so that was a really cool, touching part to it."

 

The Drury High School band played patriotic music throughout the ceremony. The North Adams American Legion Post 125 color guard presented the colors, and local educator John Moore sang the national anthem.

 

David Levesque, a 28-year Army veteran and past American Legion commander, offered his own reflections on what defines a "Hometown Hero," noting that military service is only part of the equation.

 

"It is not about medals, not about rank, not about applause. It's about what you do after the uniform comes off," Levesque said. "As a local veteran, I believe service doesn't end when active duty stops. It simply changes form. Instead of serving overseas protecting a base, we serve our communities."

 

A true hero, Levesque added, continues to support their community through time and volunteerism —showing up to ceremonies in the cold, donating time and money, supporting local schools, and ensuring fellow veterans are cared for.

 

"You take responsibility for the community that raised you or welcomed you home. It means that you understand that leadership is not about authority, it's about example ... It means continued service. It means leading with humility. It means honoring those who sacrificed more than we ever did," he said. "It means being a strong community, so that the next generation inherits something worth protecting. If I can live up to that, even in the smallest of ways, then I feel that I can earn the privilege of being called one."

 

Carol Ethier-Kipp, the daughter of Henry Contois — whose banner now hangs on Main Street — shared a deeply personal perspective on her own hometown hero.

 

Her father lived in North Adams his entire life. In 1943, he was newly married and working in one of the city's mills when he received his draft notice. He went on to serve as an Army medic.

 

"My father's mission was to care for the sick and wounded soldiers wherever he was needed. He also served in station hospitals and general hospitals in Paris," Ethier-Kipp said. "His rewards of which were only the gratitude of the sick and injured and the inner knowledge of duty well performed."

 

When her father returned home in 1946, he picked up right where he left off, eventually running his own local business for 30 years. During that time, he never spoke of his military service; it remained a mystery to Ethier-Kipp.

 

Though she possessed 939 letters he had written to her mother, they were heavily redacted by wartime censors. It wasn't until she discovered a small black diary that the gaps were finally filled.

 

"It is an invaluable resource to unlocking mysteries within his letters, especially the locations of my father's service to our country during the war," she said.

 

What she remembered most vividly, however, was how he treated her childhood scrapes and bumps.

 

"It was usually dad, not my mom, who took care of me. I never quite knew why this was so until I grew older. That's when I fully understood about my dad's service in the U.S. Army Medical Corps," Ethier-Kipp recalled. "And that's when I knew why it was most often he who came to my rescue carrying his U.S. Army medical kit filled with first aid supplies and saying, 'Don't worry, honey. You'll be OK.'"

 

During the ceremony, Drury civics students read aloud each name honored on the banners. Macksey also introduced Carlo Domenichini, the city's oldest veteran at 108 years old.

 

The Rev. Dave Anderson of First Baptist Church led the invocation, and Wayne Soares, an author and speaker who works closely with veterans, shared stories of the many heroes he has interviewed.

 

"Military service is often captured through figures, strategies, and outcomes. These types of banners remind us that behind every uniform, there was an individual with a unique journey," Soares said. "A family left behind, a future forever shaped by their experiences. Their voices form powerful stories of sacrifice, resilience, patriotism, healing."

 

Soares grew visibly emotional while reading the names of those he has interviewed, pausing to honor Charles "Cheeso" Massaconi, a Cheshire resident and World War II veteran who passed away this month at the age of 103.

 

State Rep. John Barrett also spoke, recalling the city's long-standing efforts to support veterans, including the creation of the Veterans Memorial Park during his tenure as the city's mayor.

 

To close the formal proceedings, American Legion Cmdr. Michael Lewis presented plaques to both the McCann and Drury students for their vital roles in the project.

 

"You should be very proud of the work you've done for the veterans and their families," Little said. "We, at the American Legion, thank you. The City of North Adams and its veterans are very lucky to have you in our community."

 

After the ceremony concluded, police stopped traffic so Mayor Macksey, her mother, sister and her cousin could unveil the banners belonging to her father and her uncle. Seven members of Macksey's family are represented in the downtown display, and the mayor proudly wore her father's dog tags as she addressed the crowd.

 

"When young people walk the streets of North Adams and look at the banners, I hope that they see more than history. I hope that they see integrity, responsibility, courage, and selflessness," Macksey said. "I hope they understand that ordinary people from small communities can do extraordinary things to help others. Please know in North Adams, your service matters, your sacrifices are remembered, and your hometown is very proud of you.

 

"May these banners stand as a lasting symbol of gratitude from the community… and may they remind us that the true strength of a community is measured not simply by where you live, but by the people willing to sacrifice something greater than themselves."

 

As the crowd dispersed, families gathered around the light poles, carefully unwrapping their banners and looking up together.