Amanda Pevey
Elmore Autauga News
During Tuesday night’s Prattville City Council meeting, Julianne Hansen, owner of Julianne Hansen Fine Art & Pottery, addressed the mayor and council on behalf of Gold Star families, asking that all Gold Star service members be included in the city’s Historic Downtown Prattville banner displays for Memorial Day.
Hansen said she was speaking not only as a business owner but as a Gold Star family member, identifying her stepson, Kyle, as the reason for her advocacy.
“After my stepson Kyle passed away in 2017, I opened my gallery as a way to navigate my grief and to honor something he once wrote on his bucket list, to truly make a difference in someone’s life.”
Kyle was a 2008 Prattville High School graduate and a 2012 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. In 2014, he received his Pilot’s Wings from his father, Lt. Col (Ret) Steven Hansen, USAF. He served as a C-17 pilot in the U.S. Air Force. On Feb 8, 2017, he passed away while on active duty.
“Kyle did not die in combat, and he did not receive a Purple Heart,” she said. “He died from the invisible wounds of service while still on active duty. He is a Gold Star service member, and we are a Gold Star family.”
Hansen told the council that over the past nine years, her gallery has welcomed thousands of visitors and has raised and donated more than $100,000 through the Alabama Poppy Project and other initiatives supporting veterans, families, and the community.
Hansen referenced the city’s “Hometown Hero” banner program, which began in fall 2020, and said her stepson’s banner was first displayed for Memorial Day in 2021. She said the banners have since become a key public tribute in downtown Prattville.
She also said the Alabama Poppy Project is moving this year to the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, leaving the downtown banner program as “the last remaining prominent public tribute in Prattville for families like mine for Memorial Day.”
Hansen raised concerns about how banners have been handled in recent years, saying she was previously told only Purple Heart recipients would be displayed for Memorial Day, with American flags filling remaining spaces.
“But they did not,” she said. “The space outside my gallery, where the city has always been kind enough to display Kyle’s banner, was left empty. There was no banner. There was no American flag. Just empty.”
Hansen said Kyle’s banner was later restored for Veterans Day, which she expressed gratitude for, but emphasized the distinction between Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
“This year, I turned to the city’s own website, which states these banners are intended to honor those who died while on active duty,” she said. “Kyle meets that criteria. And yet, I was told the display would be, once again, limited to only Purple Heart recipients, with all other veteran banners postponed until sometime in June in honor of the America 250 celebration.”
Hansen said she was not seeking to diminish recognition for Purple Heart recipients.
“This is not about diminishing the honor of Purple Heart recipients. Their sacrifice is unquestionable,” she said. “But Memorial Day is not about a single distinction. It is about all who gave their lives in service to this country.”
She also referenced other civic observances, including Juneteenth and America 250, while emphasizing Memorial Day’s specific purpose.
“June may be a time for celebration, for America 250, Juneteenth and other community events, but Memorial Day is different,” she said. “To us, it is sacred. It is the one day our nation has set aside to remember the fallen, by name, by face, and by sacrifice.”
Hansen closed her remarks by reiterating that her request was not about policy or politics, but about remembrance and ensuring equal recognition for all who died in service. She asked the council to commit to displaying all existing Gold Star service member banners downtown for Memorial Day, saying it is the community’s responsibility to ensure every fallen service member is honored “on the day set aside for them,” and that no family is left feeling their loved one has been overlooked.
The mayor and members of the Prattville City Council said they recognize the importance of the concerns raised and acknowledged that the banner program has grown significantly since its launch, creating new logistical challenges in how displays are managed and scheduled.
