By Greg Bauerlein


The war with Iraq has brought many different feelings among people but whether for or against it, citizens of Buffalo seem to support their troops and pray for them to come home safe.

Taking a drive down Courier Street in the Town of Kenmore, and one might think they are driving right into a memorial park. People of this neighborhood have come together and made yellow ribbons that they have tied around every tree down the street, with the American flags hung out on many porches.

According to Joann Helfer, more than three residents of this street were sent over to Iraq and the support these people have shown for the troops is unbelievable. Helfer said people have put up yellow ribbons and a variety of many other things to show support.

“Another neighbor and I usually decorate the neighborhood with red and green ribbons for Christmas time, and we thought what better of a way to show our support for the troops than to line the street with yellow ribbons,” Helfer said. “One neighbor down the street has a couple of boys over in Iraq and we will keep these up and pray for our boys to come home safe.”

The yellow ribbons were made from yellow tablecloths so they were big enough to get around some of the trees, and were made by one of the residents of the street for all the trees. Other neighbors have signs saying support the troops on their lawns and many have a three star sign in their windows or doors signifying that they have a family member serving in the war.

With this massive outpouring of support and patriotic spirit, local businesses have been struggling to keep up with the demand. According to executive manager of Party City, Cathy Syracuse, the store has struggled to keep shelves stocked for customers.

“We’ve gotten in new shipments of ribbons the last two weekends, and they’ve sold almost as fast as we put them out,” said Syracuse. “When we don’t have them in stock people are buying ribbon material or other materials and making their own.”

If you want to show support yourself, materials are available at a variety of stores including: Paper Factory, Party City, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Joann Fabrics

Additional Links

The Yellow-Ribbons Project

How the Yellow Ribbon Became a National Folk Symbol