Westerville Honors Veteran, Active Duty Military Service

The 2021 class of Westerville Military Banner honorees will overlook Uptown Westerville one last time during the month of November. The banners will be returned to families in December.

The program allows local families to honor active and veteran military servicemen and women with pole banners featuring the individual’s military photo that are placed on light poles in Uptown Westerville along State Street, between Home and Walnut Streets. Banners are placed from May-July 4 and then again for the month of November.

Applications for the 2022 program will be available at www.westerville.org/militarybanners beginning 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 3. Paper applications will be available in the lobby of Westerville City Hall (21 S. State St.). Banners cost $130, part of which supports the Westerville Parks Foundation’s work to help the City create and sustain parks, trails, public spaces and programs for future generations.

Future applicants have a few months left to gather the materials needed to apply for the program, the most important being a high-resolution digital photo or a printed photo large enough to be scanned.

Find detailed instructions for application requirements at www.westerville.org/militarybanners.

Meet a few of our 2021 honorees:

Edwin Roush paused his studies at Otterbein College (now University) when Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he returned to marry his college sweetheart, Marilou Harold, and graduated from Otterbein with a bachelor’s degree in education.

He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1947 and played professional football for one season. In 1951, Roush opened his first hardware store in Westerville and over the next three decades expanded the business to include sporting goods and Honda sales.

Bill enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1965 and served four years. He reached the rank of corporal. His duties included driving military vehicles, military police and The Drum & Bugle Corps. During his time he was in Japan for 26 months without returning home.

After discharge from the Corps, he became a Westerville Police officer and served for 25 years, then on Westerville City Council for 12 years.

Andrew Hollobaugh was born and raised in Westerville where he attended Longfellow Elementary, Heritage Middle and Westerville North High School (Class of 2013).

In May of 2017, he graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado and was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force as a second lieutenant. Following graduation, Lieutenant Hollobaugh went to Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) at Vance AFB, Oklahoma where he was selected to fly the C-17 Globemaster III. As a C-17 Pilot, First Lieutenant Hollobaugh has flown missions on four continents and 23 countries.

After graduating from Westerville North High School in 1997, Becky Browell Farmer attended Penn State University and earned her commission as a military intelligence officer in 2001.

Becky’s first assignment was to the 1st Armored Division as a battalion intelligence officer in 1-4 Air Defense Artillery Bn. She deployed to Iraq in 2003- 2004. Becky joined the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), deploying again to Iraq in 2006 with Division HQ and to Afghanistan from 2008-2009 with the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Currahee). Her final assignment in 2010 was as HQ and HQ company commander, 4th Brigade Special Troops Bn. Becky attended Georgetown University, earning a master’s degree in 2012.