Six former members of the US Armed Forces with ties to the Binghamton City School District have been recognized as Hometown Heroes. Banners hanging along the VFW Memorial Bridge in Binghamton honor local men and women who served in the United States military; of the initial eleven banners dedicated, five are alumni of the Binghamton City School District. Allan Cave, Rod Serling, John Sevcik, George Baxter, and Dwayne Taylor all graduated from Binghamton prior to their service. Another honoree, Paul White, is a current member of the Binghamton Board of Education.
“The banner is truly a great honor that I share with my wonderful family. To be placed alongside the banners of Major General John Robinson, Rod Serling and other honorees is the utmost respect and honor,” said Dwayne Taylor. “Seeing the hometown heroes banner brought back fond childhood memories of Columbus Park, YMCA, Boys Club, East Junior, North High School and finally SUNY Cortland. All this from a skinny kid from Susquehanna Street in Binghamton!”
“It is an extremely humbling honor. To be selected as one of the first completely shocked me, I couldn’t be more grateful for the recognition,” said Binghamton Board of Education Member Paul White. “There are opportunities out there for everyone within our district; we have residents who are now ‘hometown heroes,’ students who are big time college athletes, and students who now serve the same district as Board of Education members like me. Just set your minds on a goal and work as hard as you can and the positive impact you will have not only on yourself, but the community is an incredible reward!”
The first group of banners was unveiled at a ceremony on November 9th – just ahead of Veterans Day. Binghamton High School senior Cameren Pagan performed the National Anthem as the event began. The inaugural Hometown Heroes are:
• MG John C. Robinson, US Army, Civil War
• 1SG Allan Cave, US Army, WW II
• T4 Rod Serling, US Army, WW II
• EM3C John Sevcik, US Navy, WW II
• MAJ James Jones, Jr., US Army, Vietnam Era
• SP4 David Johnson, US Army, Vietnam Era
• SGT George Baxter, US Marine Corps, Vietnam Era
• CPT Dwayne Taylor, US Air Force, Gulf War
• SGT Patricia Vuozzo, US Army, Gulf War
• SSG Paul White, US Army, GWOT
• SGT Cara Tilton, US Marine Corps, GWOT
The Hometown Heroes program is a collaboration between the Binghamton Veterans Center, the Southern Tier Veterans Support Group, Broome County, & the City of Binghamton. Over the past several months, a committee worked to identify the Hometown Heroes and have the banners designed, printed, and hung. The group plans to identify new honorees and install additional banners in the future. For more information on the Hometown Heroes program, email BingHTHbannerprogram@gmail.com.