A veteran gets a special honor in Monroe County. East Stroudsburg Hometown Hero Banners hang from utility poles throughout the borough recognizing the sacrifice men and women made fighting in every war. Today one was unveiled to a Korean War Veteran on the same street his grandson’s is also hung.
86-year-old Ted Eilber is brought to tears seeing his East Stroudsburg Hometown Hero Banner. His family surprised the Korean War Veteran this morning with the special tribute.
Korean War Veteran Ted Eilber says, "Memories coming back, that makes me a little emotional yeah hard times there but we got through it just fine."
His family tells us he doesn’t talk much about his service in the Army. But today Eilber recalls his time deployed for a year and a half in Korea as a 102 Combat Engineer like it was yesterday.
Eilber says, "Seeing the hazard that had gone on over there, what that war was creating and the environments and rebuilding roads, highways and bridges and everything."
While the banner takes him back to all of the sacrifices he endured, he says it makes his time there worthwhile. Especially because it’s located on Prospect Street next to his grandson’s banner.
OEF and OIF Veteran Terry (TJ) Eilber says, "He wholeheartedly deserves it and I think it’s long overdue for a lot of our veterans who went and served. They have these memories and things that happened to them and now they’re finally getting recognized for it."
TJ Eilber served in the Army from 2003 to 2015 and did three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
Eilber says, "This guy’s great too. I mean he’s still serving as a police officer here and he’s doing really well and I’m so proud of everything. So proud of everything."
TJ’s other grandfather also served in the Army as a World War Two Veteran and is posted here on Ridgeway Street near St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. He tells us it’s because of them that he went into the service along with 9/11.
Terry (TJ) Eilber says, "I love it because we’re here together now. Unfortunately my other grandfather passed away but would love to have him right here too, but it’s one of those things, we’re still here, we’ll go back and forth tell war stories."
Honoring a family of heroes in East Stroudsburg, Nicole Walters, News13.