For years Oak Harbor Fire Chaplain Ron Hancock wanted a way to honor servicemen and women in Oak Harbor.

He dreamt about it and he talked about it — to everyone all over town. To mayors, to business owners, to anyone who would listen.

“It bothered me you go through Oak Harbor, a military town, and there were no visible signs that said, ‘Thank you’ from the civilians for the troops,” Hancock said. “I just thought there should be a physical statement that says, ‘Thank you for the freedom.’”

With help from the community, Hancock’s vision is being realized downtown. The project is called the Walk of Honor.

A dedication ceremony is planned for 3 p.m. Saturday, May 23 on Pioneer Way near the intersection with Southeast Pasek Street.

Banners now hang from light poles on Pioneer between Midway and Regatta.

These aren’t some flimsy canvas affair that’s going to get worn and torn by the first stiff breeze coming off the water.

These are metal with designs so intricate they took a full day to print.

The project is financed through private donations from more than 25 community organizations and private citizens. Oak Harbor Signs donated the labor to produce and hang the banners. The art on the banners was created by Northwest artist Jody Bergsma.

Hancock said he wants the spotlight on other people, but it was his relentless and passionate vision that beat life into the project.

Hancock grew up in Detroit “on the wrong side of the cross.” After some trouble in his teenage years, he joined the U.S. Navy at age 18. His first duty station was Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in 1961. He served on the NAS Whidbey Fire Department for more than 30 years and now serves with the Oak Harbor Fire Department.

His experiences here and abroad ingrained in him a deep respect for military personnel and local firefighters and police officers. He refers to them as “those who stand the watch.”

Experiences of World War II veterans he met serving in Vietnam were a particularly powerful influence. If America had lost that war, he said, “We darn well would have lost our freedom. If America had lost our freedom, the world would have.”

He wants people traveling along Pioneer Way to be reminded of that service. And he’d like to perhaps inspire a young person to serve.

“This is such a community thing,” Hancock said.

“If there’s going to be any cheering, it should be for the troops.”