More service members to be honored with banners in Visalia

Ten active military members from Visalia will be honored in their hometown Wednesday with their own banners that will be installed on Riggin Avenue. It's all through the BRAVE Project Visalia, an acronym for Banners Recognizing & Appreciating Visalia's Enlisted.

Wednesday's installation will bring the total number of banners on city streets to about 225. Through a partnership with the city, Installations are done when they have at least 10 banners ready to go up.

"When we first started, we barely made the 10 to meet city requirements," said Gary Cole, who started the program with his wife Jana back in 2012 to honor their son when he joined the Army. They saw a similar program in Southern California and wanted to bring it to the Valley. "From then, it's really taken off. City personnel and the population and veterans groups have supported us, it's unbelievable."

Each banner costs $400, which includes banner brackets and installation. The organization accepts donations to help offset the cost for families who cannot afford the full price.