Boston hearing advances planning for expanded Hero Squares and a new hometown military banner program

A City Council committee hearing on veterans issues heard detailed planning and community testimony Tuesday as officials discussed two related proposals: reaffirming the long‑running Hero Square program and studying a new “hometown military hero” banner program that would place commemorative banners for local service members on city streetlights.

The hearing, convened by City Councilor Ed Flynn, chair of the Committee on Veterans, Military Families and Military Affairs, brought Boston Veterans Services Commissioner Rob Santiago, Public Works and Streets Cabinet staff, neighborhood organizers from West Roxbury, and veterans and veterans’ organizations to describe how the programs work and what implementing a citywide banner program would require. Flynn opened the hearing noting it covered two dockets: one on the city’s Hero Squares program and one to consider establishing a hometown military hero banner program.

The matters discussed matter to thousands of local veterans and Gold Star families, committee members said, because both programs publicly recognize service and can be structured to educate neighborhoods about local veterans’ histories. Committee members and witnesses emphasized that the two efforts overlap in purpose but require different operational support: transportation and permitting for banners, and database, plaque and dedication logistics for Hero Squares.

Boston’s Hero Square program dates back more than a century and recognizes service members from the city who were killed in action, with a marked sign (the “gold star” design) and, increasingly, a biography plaque linked by QR code to the city’s veterans website. Commissioner Rob Santiago said the department currently identifies about 1,300 Hero Squares citywide and has installed about 200 biography plaques; the office also places wreaths yearly for Memorial Day and Veterans Day and maintains a database of honored service…