Anne McBride and her family are honoring the life of her late husband in a unique way this year.

“My husband, Edburn, was a longtime resident of Goshen. [He] served in the U.S. Air Force for four years,” she said.

With a flag dedicated in his honor, they joined 155 other families in honoring their loved ones. The event, Flags for Heroes, was put on by the Rotary Club of Goshen, in the Charles Everett Memorial Park on Main Street in Goshen.

“It’s fitting today is the first of November, All Saints Day. The people that we honor may not be saints, but they are our heroes,” said Rob McLean, president-elect of the club.

Mark Gargiulo is the president of the local organization.

“I’m feeling very proud that this was such a success,” he said. “I didn’t know if it wasn’t going to happen with the pandemic, but it lent itself well to the situation at hand.”

Nurses, doctors, and other frontline staff were among those honored with large American flags hoisted on 10-foot poles, all six feet apart.

“We have 155 flags up here,” Gargiulo said. “We actually sold more flags than we have room for. It was an overwhelming response. I hope to see this whole area here, which is a part of village property covered in American flags next year.”

Each flag is accompanied by a medallion, bearing the names of a local hero. The flags will remain in the park until November 22. McBride and her daughter Deborah Heppes are looking forward to next year, so they can honor their father once more.

“And I think to do it right here in the Village of Goshen right where everyone can see, is a wonderful reminder to everybody. Just pause and to think of all that have served,” she said.