FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Make no mistake about it. Eastern Shore residents love and appreciate their veterans. That will become apparent beginning this weekend as communities up and down Mobile Bay recognize those who put their lives on hold and in danger in order to protect their country through military service.

On Saturday, at 10 a.m., the city of Fairhope will honor local veterans with its annual Veterans Day Parade. According to Joe Birindelli, parade chairman, it will begin and end at the Civic Center, and wind through much of the downtown area.

The public is invited to attend a USO Show presented by the American Legion Post 199 Ladies Auxiliary Sunday, Nov 8, at 3 p.m. The event, which will be held at the post home on South Mobile Avenue, will feature local radio celebrities Lori DuBose, Bill Milham and others singing well-known tunes of famous singers. Admission is $5 and proceeds will fund a benevolence Thanksgiving dinner given by the auxiliary.

The Eastern Shore Exchange Club will also take part in the recognition by presenting its second Field of Valor at USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park Nov. 7-11. The Field of Valor is a memorial display of 3-by-5 flags on 8-foot poles in rows and columns.

Then on Nov. 11, at 10 a.m., the city of Daphne will hold a Veterans Day Ceremony at Daphne City Hall. The gathering will feature as guest speaker U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.).

Birindelli, a Vietnam veteran, said folks now go out of their way to honor veterans, a marked change from the way it was when soldiers and sailors returned home in the 1960s during what became a very unpopular conflict.

“It’s wonderful,” he said. “It’s why I got involved in all these activities. Me and all these other Vietnam vets are doing everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen to these other guys. We want them to get all the respect and honor they can get.”

Birindelli is also co-chair of the Fairhope Veterans Memorial Committee Inc., a nonprofit group that commissioned artist Stephen Spears to create a sculpture, “Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy” that will one day grace the bluff at Henry George Park. It is expected to draw visitors from across the Gulf Coast. A fundraising drive is under way, and challenge coins and presentation medallions are now being sold.

“They’re available at the Fairhope Courier office and at American Legion Post 199,” Birindelli said. “The small ones (about 1 3/4 inches in diameter) are the challenge coins. In the service, generals and colonels gave certain people coins. Soldiers and sailors go in a bar and are asked to show their coin (which typically represents a specific military unit). If they can’t produce one, they have to buy the next round of drinks. If they can, the challenger buys the next round.

Challenge coins are popular keepsakes and collectibles for retired military members and others. The coins and medallions being sold by the Fairhope group each represent a branch of the service (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard).

The challenge coins display the branch insignia, and are brass painted in appropriate colors. They are available for a minimum donation of $20.

The presentation medallions are unpainted brass, and 3 1/2 inches in diameter. They come in a case that includes a display stand.

The service insignia is on the front of each medallion, and the back has room for an inscription. Birindelli said Eastern Shore Engraving will engrave a message on the medallion for half price ($7.50).

The medallion is given for a minimum donation to the committee of $100. Call Birindelli at 928-3292 for more information.

Birindelli said another $60,000 must be raised to complete Phase One of the project, the completion of the actual sculpture figures, which will cost a total of $147,000. The base and water feature portions of the design will be completed in Phase Two, for an estimated $103,000. Birindelli said the cost could be lowered through donated in-kind services.

Fairhope recently named Billy Garner as the city’s 2009 Veteran of the Year. He will lead other military and veteran groups in the parade.

Garner is being recognized for his military service with the Navy during WWII, as well as his community involvement over the years.

He served aboard the USS Neville APA9 and the USS Livermore 429 in the South Pacific, and was with the Livermore when it brought some of the first U.S. Occupational Troops into Japan after the surrender.

“We had a host of great candidates this year,” Birindelli said. “They were all very good choices, but we narrowed it down and recommended Mr. Garner. We think he is a fine choice for this year’s Veteran of the Year.”

Among those also taking part in the Fairhope parade are the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the VFW and the Korean War Veterans. A Fairhope-based National Guard unit, the 1165th Military Police Co. will participate as well.

New and vintage military vehicles, bands, the local British Auto Club, floats from various organizations and many elected city and county officials will be on hand.

“We greatly appreciate the participation of our local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and we invite other school groups to take part,” Birindelli said. “It’s fun to see kids with decorated bikes and wagons and such, like the old-time patriotic parades some of us remember. But it’s also a good way to teach the kids more about Veterans Day, and why it’s important to honor our veterans.”

Although technically inside the city of Mobile, The Eastern Shore Exchange Club’s Field of Valor quickly became a favored way for residents here to honor or memorialize someone who has served our country in the armed forces,

as a police officer, firefighter or in any other capacity.

The cost of an individual flag sponsorship is $25. If you would like your flag mailed to you after the event, include $5 for shipping and handling. Visit www.valorfield.org for a purchasing form.

Due to the success of last year’s inaugural 200-flag Field of Valor, this year’s field will be increased to 300 flags.

The public is encouraged to view the flags and honor those recognized at the event. The flags will be removed

after the event and used throughout the year to promote Americanism at other patriotic events.