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A Banner Effort: One Woman’s Mission to Preserve Vets’ Stories

COOPERSTOWN—In a small village where banners meant to honor veterans were voted down for non-compliance with the existing sign law, Joanie Parrillo decided to take a different path—one that couldn’t be blocked by a vote or buried in bureaucracy.

What began as a quiet act of remembrance became a deeply personal mission to preserve the voices of those who served, and to ensure their stories would live on.

Parrillo never set out to write a book.

“I didn’t plan this,” Parrillo reflected. “It started with a few conversations, a few memories—and then it grew.”

What followed was a learning experience in every sense: technical hurdles, emotional weight and the challenge of doing justice to lives marked by sacrifice.

Before the book, there were banners.

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