To our valued supporters and participants:
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2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. This conflict cost the world between 50 to 85 million souls, including over 400,000 Americans killed and another 670,000 wounded. 11,000 died in Japanese POW camps – more than 40% of all those captured. Captivity in one such camp began with what is known as the Bataan Death March, during which around 75,000 US and Filipino troops were force marched across the Bataan Peninsula under tortuous conditions. Only 54,000 reached the camp.
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The 194th Tank Battalion was one group subjected to this extreme treatment. Company C of this battalion was headquartered in Salinas before deploying. Only 47 of the 107 men ever returned home. As a result, Salinas lost more men per capita in that march than any other town in the United States.
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That is why our Hometown Heroes Banners in 2025 will honor these brave men for their service and sacrifice. All 107 of these heroes have banners placed in Old Town and surrounding streets, and a commemorative ceremony will be held in their honor.
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Therefore, while we encourage all Salinas residents to continue to submit images and information on their military loved ones, any such submittal received this cycle will be displayed in 2026. We hope you can appreciate the need to recognize the men of Company C of the 194th, and will patiently await our next installation to see more of our local service men and women honored in this way.
If you are a current or former member of the military who resides in Salinas, or a family member of someone who served while living in Salinas, we invite you to download and print the Application Form through the link provided above.
Once you have completed the form and gathered all necessary documentation, please submit it to the Committee along with a high-quality photograph via any of the methods listed below
DOCUMENTATION
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The documentation required to confirm eligibility for recognition is straightforward. There are only two requirements: proof of military service in the US and a connection to Salinas. To satisfy these requirements, we request that you provide the following:
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Proof of residency, which can be demonstrated with a recent utility bill or a valid California ID belonging to either the honoree or the applicant.
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An official service picture, which can be submitted as either an original photo (which will be returned to you), a high-quality copy or scan of the original, or a digital image scanned from the original on a disc or thumb-drive.
Please note that photocopies of proof of residency are acceptable, but we require an original picture to confirm military service.
DELIVERY
Once you have downloaded the form and completed it along with all the necessary documents, you have various options to send them to us.
You can either mail the documents to the
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Salinas Hometown Heroes Banner Committee
820 Park Row, #953
Salinas, CA 93901
or submit them online using the link provided.
After we receive your documents, they will be forwarded to the printer for processing. Once the printer has completed its part, your images will be returned to you as soon as possible.
Please ensure that your name is on all media that you submit to avoid any confusion.