This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

VACAVILLE — Vacaville is the latest community to start the Hometown Heroes Program. The city will honor its military veterans with large street banners.

Hometown Heroes has been a hit among cities and towns who want to pay special tribute to its veterans.

For $200 family members or sponsors can have a banner made for a local veteran whether living or deceased. The banner will then be hung on light posts in part of the city.

“My father’s retired Air Force, my father-in-law is retired Air Force,” Vacaville Councilman Raymond Beaty told FOX40.

Beaty is also an Air Force veteran with more veterans in his family than he can count. He says it’s especially important to put a face to those who served or who still serve.

“Even when you hang up your uniform, you don’t hang up your love and desire to protect and provide for the country,” Beaty said. “We want people to remember the people who make those sacrifices.”

Each community uses Hometown Heroes’ banners in their own way, but it always seems to be a festive and colorful way to honor veterans.

Vacaville’s banners will be displayed at the busy intersection of Peabody road heading into the Travis Air Force Base, also known as the “Gateway to the Pacific”. The banners will be seen by more people than a static veterans memorial.

Dozens have communities have adopted the Hometown Heroes Program, and most of those communities are small towns like Vacaville.

“Part of that small-town feel is knowing who people are and what they’ve done for the community,” Beaty said.

Less than a day after the program started, eight applications were submitted for the initial 18 available light posts. It’s not surprising since nearly 10% of Vacaville’s population are veterans.

If they continue to receive applications Vacaville will be able to rotate banners.

“We want to be able to keep those names and faces in front of people,” Beaty said.

After a year of being on display, families or sponsors will receive possession of the banners as a keepsake.