Families push for military banners

Jocelyn Cronin’s son, Army Spc. Sam Cronin, wasn’t exactly thrilled when he first learned about his parent’s push for a program to honor active servicemen and women on banners hung around town. The local military mom said her 22 year old would rather be thought of as a son first and a soldier second.

So when Sam was home for two weeks before deploying back to Fort Drum, N.Y., it came as no surprise to Jocelyn that he decided to dress casually rather than wear his army uniform to the Penngrove Parade.

“He likes to fly under the radar,” she said, “and I don’t like to let him, because I’m a proud mom.”

While accompanying Sam at the parade, Jocelyn fought the urge to hold the large banner she is seeking permission to display ­- complete with an image of Sam decked out in full military regalia. But wearing a T-shirt with the banner’s image on it certainly wasn’t off limits.

“I wanted everyone to know that the one next to me was my son,” she beamed.

Before heading back to New York last Sunday, Sam came around to appreciating his mother’s passion for the military banner program. Now, Jocelyn is hoping that come September, the Petaluma City Council will, too.

The Cronin family isn’t the only one interested in honoring local military personnel. Last month, John and Jocelyn Cronin were accompanied by an outpouring of local veterans and families at the June 23 Petaluma City Council meeting to seek approval for the military banner program, which is already thriving in several surrounding communities.

The proposed Petaluma Patriot Military Banner program would allow families to hang the 30-inch by 70-inch banners on city-approved public places, including on lampposts along East Washington Street between the Golden Eagle Shopping Center and Petaluma Boulevard, and along Ely Road.

The goal is to have the banners in place in time for Petaluma’s massive Veteran’s Day Parade.

“If I could drive down the street and see his banner up there hanging, I would be so proud,” Jocelyn said. “This is where he grew up. This is where he went to school.”

The program, which would be fully funded by soldiers’ families and voluntary community donations, has already taken root in cities like Windsor, Healdsburg, Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park. The Windsor Hometown Heroes Military Banner program has 36 banners hanging near its civic center, the Rohnert Park Armed Forces Banner program has 34, and Santa Rosa’s Salutes Banner program is aiming to have 24 banners hung by Sept. 11.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Jocelyn said. “All we’re doing is just mimicking the programs that have worked.”

For the program to come to town, the city council would have to amend its current sign code, said City Manager John Brown, adding that the proposal could create issues of free speech on city-owned land. He explained that although banners honoring active duty personnel are worthy of hanging in town, groups with more controversial messages would be able to take advantage of that same privilege were the sign code changed.

Because the program was presented during public comment, the council could not take a position on the topic, but Brown suggested they could either examine changing the language of the sign code at a meeting in September, or at a goal-planning session in about five months.

The program has been integrated more seamlessly in other towns, where issues of free speech did not arise.

“We have not had that problem whatsoever,” said Windsor Parks and Recreation Director Donna Legge. “We don’t have a banner policy, so we had more freedom and flexibility to do what we wanted. It’s been very well received.”

Andy Durkee, who launched Rohnert Park’s banner program, said the banners were in compliance with the city’s banner display ordinance.

“From what I’ve seen, there’s no downside,” Durkee said.

Jocelyn hopes that one day, Petaluma’s banner program will remind residents of the ongoing sacrifice of military personnel, like her son, Sam.

“The war is still going on, and we need to appreciate them and honor them every single day,” she said.

(Contact Allison Jarrell at allison.jarrell@argus courier.com)