Louis D’Amore, the man of peace, is not only a Tourism Hero according to Worlt Tourism Network but also a US Marine Hero. A poster is proof.

The founder and president of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism, Louis has been a travel and tourism celebrity for decades.

He has been instrumental in making the world understand the important synergy between tourism and peace. This is even more important today than ever.

Louis has been seen as a man with a vision and ideals. This started before he founded IIPT. This vision to defend peace and freedom started in 1959 when he honourably served the United States as a Marine. IIPT’s Peace Park has been expanded around the globe and includes sites like Victoria Falls in Zambia, and Zimbabwe, many Canadian National Parks, parks in Jordan, Israel, and Palestine, and around the United States.

The man of peace is a true icon in the travel and tourism industry. He recently announced that he will pass the torch to Ajaj Prakash in India soon during a Peace Through Tourism tour in Jordan. Last week he was honoured in his hometown in New York, where is currently residing as a United States Marine Hero.

Honouring veterans the community in the Mohawk Valley region of New York started the Hometown Hero Banner program. The Mohawk Valley Hometown Heroes banner program began in Utica, New York in January 2022, when McKenna formed a committee with Trena DeFranco, regent of the Oneida Chapter of the DAR, Tom Buono of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 944 and Joe Fraccola of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 490.

To qualify for this program, the individual being honoured must have served in one of the United States Armed Forces. First priority will be given to Veterans from each location (Born, Raised, or Resided), then veterans from outside the Greater Mohawk Valley area will be considered.

The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, the region’s counties have a combined population of 622,133 people. In addition to the Mohawk River valley, the region contains portions of other major watersheds such as the Susquehanna River.

The region is a suburban and rural area surrounding the industrialized cities of Schenectady, Utica, and Rome, along with other smaller commercial centres. The 5,882 square miles (15,230 km2) area is an important agricultural centre and encompasses the heavily forested wilderness areas just to the north that are part of New York’s Adirondack Park.

The Mohawk Valley is a natural passageway connecting the Atlantic Ocean, by way of the Hudson Valley, with the interior of North America. Native American Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy lived in the region. In the 17th century, Dutch, French, and English immigrants —and in the 18th century German, Irish, and Scottish—settled the area. Following the rapid industrialization of the mid-19th century, Italians and Welsh People settled in the valley. The banners will be hung from just before Memorial Day to just after Veterans Day.

The Committee is made up of members of the Oneida Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, The Military Order of the Purple Heart CNY Chapter 490, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 944. It is being supported by Mayor Palmieri’s Office and the Utica Common Council, Mayor Hopsicker and the Whitesboro Village Council, Mayor Ryan and the Village of NH Council, New Hartford Town Council Members, and the Town Supervisor.