The Swift Current Museum unveiled the 2025 entries for the Veteran Banner Program in front of a crowd that included family members of the honoured veterans and local officials. Crystal Ljunggren, educational co-ordinator at the Swift Current Museum, presented the stories of 12 veterans being recognized this year. The banners will be displayed in Memorial Park and along First Avenue Northeast. There is now a total of 71 banners in the program. While the initial payment of $175 covers the cost of producing and displaying the banners for the first three years, there is an option to renew them for display beyond that period. “If they don’t renew, the banner is theirs to take with them,” said Ljunggren. “To carry along and remember their family member who served.” Applications for the 2026 Veteran Banner Program are now open, with the link available on the Swift Current Museum’s website. “Anyone who has served in the Canadian Armed Forces — we’re very honoured to preserve their memory,” said Ljunggren. Veterans who are actively serving or who have previously served and are still living are also eligible for a banner The following is a description of the key factors from each of this year's Veteran Banner Program inductees. Daniel V. Agar Born: Aug. 21, 1887, in Palmerston, Ont. Moved to Saskatchewan in 1909 to homestead near Notman. Enlisted: Aug. 12, 1914, with the Canadian Army and went overseas. Wounded and gassed in action in Europe; returned Dec. 1917 with rheumatic fever. Died: May 9, 1928, from war‑related effects. Russ Budd Born: April 11, 1921, on a farm at Woodville, Ont. Left the farm in 1939 to work in Lindsay and then Peterborough. Joined the RCAF during World War II; trained as an airman mechanic in Calgary. Posted to England in the fall of 1944, weeks after marrying Marion Porter of Kincaid, Sask.; held the rank of LAC and served two years before returning home in 1946. After the war, he worked at a Swift Current Pontiac‑Buick‑GMC dealership and earned numerous salesmanship awards. In 1956, he bought his first quarter‑section in the Stewart Valley district and grew his holdings to more than 2,000 acres and 100 head of cattle by 1970. He and Marion had five children, and they retired to Swift Current in 1988. Marion died in 1989; he died in 1995. Jean Campbell Born: May 11, 1919, in Swift Current, Sask., to James Wallace and Catherine M. Grant Wallace. Grew up on a homestead southeast of Swift Current and then near McMahon; completed high school in Swift Current (1937). Graduated as a registered nurse from Regina General Hospital (Gray Nuns) in 1942, with honours. Joined the Canadian Army in 1944 and served in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps until 1946; posted at the army hospital at Camp Dundurn, caring for returning wounded soldiers. After the Army, she worked at Fort Qu’Appelle Sanatorium (1947‑48) and Kinistino Hospital (1950‑60). She moved back to Swift Current in 1960 and nursed at Swift Current Union Hospital until her retirement on June 22, 1981. She raised three children. Died: Dec. 21, 1996, in Swift Current; buried at Memorial Garden Cemetery. Ross Dickie Born: Oct. 22, 1917, in Creelman, Sask. Enlisted: Aug. 13, 1940, at Dundurn; served with the 1622 Saskatchewan Light Horse. His war service in Europe ended Sept. 2, 1945; his final pay‑book entry was June 4, 1946. After returning to Saskatchewan with his wife Jean (his war bride), he raised four children and lived in the province for the rest of his life. Charles Ferridge (1895‑1983) Born: 1895 in Kent, England. After working in Chile as a sheep herder, he immigrated to Canada in 1915 and worked as a farm hand near Waldeck, Sask. Joined the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserves in 1916 and served on HMCS Niobe, HMS Victory, HMS Moldavia, HMS Vivid 3 and HMS Erin. While on HMS Moldavia, it was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel; Charlie survived despite being unable to swim. After the war, he returned to farming, married May Harris in 1929, and raised five children (two died in childhood). Enlisted in the RCAF in 1941 and was posted at Swift Current Airport and Medicine Hat Air Base. After discharge in 1945, he worked as a gardener at the Swift Current Experimental Farm and later at the courthouse. Died: 1983. Elton Freeman Born: April 3, 1915, in Fosterton, Sask.; eldest of five children of Eugene and Bada Freeman (siblings: Dorothy, Irene, Donald and Geraldine). Enlisted: June 1942 in the RCAF. Served with RAF Bomber Command’s 78th Squadron. On Aug. 26, 1944, his Halifax NZ‑311 was on a mine‑laying mission and crashed; he perished. In 2020, a memorial dedication was held at the crash site (Cleve Hill, Gloucestershire), honouring those who died on the mission. His sister Geraldine Ria supported the veterans‑banner project in his memory. Barney G. Harder Born: Oct. 27, 1922, near Beaver Flats, Sask. Eldest of seven children of Jake and Helen Harder. Enlisted: April 2, 1942. Served 36 months as a driver and tank transporter in the UK, France and Belgium. Although his official rank was private, he occasionally acted as corporal. He had signed up for the Pacific theatre, but the war ended before deployment. He was discharged: Dec. 3, 1945. Awards: France & Germany Star; Defence Medal; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp; War Medal. Married Tina Funk in 1947; they had two children and farmed in the Stewart Valley area. Died: May 10, 1970, at age 47. Arnold Odell Sannes Born: Jan. 31, 1924, and raised on a family farm near Hayslett, Sask. Son of Oscar Sannes (a WWI veteran). At age 18, against his father’s wishes, he enlisted in the RCAF in Regina. He trained at Moose Jaw, Brandon, St. Thomas, Saskatoon, and Lachine, then sailed to Scotland aboard the New Amsterdam under cramped conditions. He was assigned to the 6th Bomber Group, 432 Squadron, based near Yorkshire, England, for over three years. His dream of becoming a pilot ended when he discovered he was colour‑blind; he instead became a structural flight engineer and airframe mechanic. He stayed on after the war to service returning aircraft and returned to Canada in 1946 aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Married Myrtle Greenway in 1951. He and Myrtle co‑owned the Central Meat Market, and then he enjoyed a long career with Sears, retiring in 1988. They travelled annually to Arizona, Florida, and Hawaii, raised three children, and enjoyed the company of three grandchildren. Sanosuke “Sam” Nishimura Farmed with his family in the Antelope District. Enlisted in 1918 with the 15th Battalion, 1st Central Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Died: July 14, 1919, in a hospital in England; buried in Ripon Cemetery. Takeo “Harry” Tanaka Enlisted in the fall of 1941 with the 16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse, which evolved into the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade (Ontario Tank Regiment, HQ Company and C Company). Served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Belgium and Holland. While in Holland he befriended a Dutch family who kept his name and address. In 1995, he was a guest of honour for three Dutch villages for the 50th anniversary of Holland’s liberation—a proud moment for his family. Minoru "Morgan" Tanaka Enlisted in spring 1941. Served in the 16th/22nd Saskatchewan Horse, 10th Canadian Armoured Regiment and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division (Governor‑General’s Horse Guards). His Sherman tank was hit near Kalkar, Germany, on Feb. 19, 1945; he died the next day, Feb. 20, at age 25. He is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery at Groesbeek, near Nijmegen, Holland. Taisuki “Tommy” Tanaka Moved from Alberta in 1916 to join the 209th Battalion in Swift Current. Served in the 10th Battalion in France during WWI. Wounded on April 18, 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge; on Aug. 15, 1917 he sustained serious wounds and lost his right eye, and was hospitalised for the remainder of the war and upon his return to Canada. Married Toku Nishimura of the Antelope District (sister of Sam Nishimura). Their two sons, Harry and Morgan, both served in World War II.