• Mar 28, 2024
  • 4:56 PM

Nye County Expands Veterans Banner Project


By Chuck N. Baker

(Pahrump) — Three years ago Nye County commissioners voted to honor mili-tary veterans who resided within the boundaries of its local cities. But it took more than that vote to make the honors possible. It sought and gained approval from the Nye County Veterans Services Fund, as well as the Veterans Finance Committee. There were applications to fill out and approvals to be gathered. And then, it all came together in July of 2019. The project, which was first conceived by the commission in 2017, came to be called the Veterans Banner Program. It was spearheaded by Butch Borasky, who was a commission member at the time.

Colorful banners were designed that feature the faces and names of Nye County veterans. The banners were then hung from light posts on an area in Pahrump known as the Calvada Eye. Design wise if traced, the street configura-tion resembles the outline of an eye, hence the name. The area includes two man-made ponds, foot paths and pedestrian bridges. A statement issued by Nye County reads,”The Veterans Banner Program was created to honor Nye County’s past and present service men and women for their service to our country. The banner acts as a symbol of our gratitude that pays tribute to the commitment and courage displayed by the individuals who have served in the U.S. armed forces and encouraged a new generation to provide service to their country.”
The program has become so popular, a second phase is now being called for in order to add more banners. Individuals honored on banners include veter-ans who are missing in action, and as of now the banners are only displayed in Pahrump. Efforts are underway to expand the program to Tonopah in 2021.

Applications are currently being sought to add more names to the Pahrump display. The criteria includes the following details: The honoree must be a present or past member of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a current or for-mer (or deceased) resident within Nye County. The honoree must have had an honorable military discharge. Those applying must be the honoree, or the closest living relative of the honoree.

Applications can be obtained at the Nye County Administration Office lo-cated at 2100 E. Walt Williams Drive, Suite 100, or at the Tonopah office at 101 Radar Road. Printable applications can also be found at www.nyecounty.net. The deadline for submitting them is December 31, 2020, at 12 noon.

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