[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 162 (Thursday, December 9, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8709-S8710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TAKE A VETERAN TO SCHOOL
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to express my profound
appreciation for the Take a Veteran to School Day program in my home
State of Maine with ceremonies that took place on November 9 and 10 of
this year, appropriately right before Veterans Day on November 11. And
it is especially fitting that we recognize these events this week as we
paused this past Tuesday, on December 7, to remember those who perished
69 years ago at Pearl Harbor, a day that President Franklin Roosevelt
declared ``will live in infamy.''
First and foremost, I want to extend my enormous gratitude to the
Maine
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National Guard, and especially MG John Libby, Maine's Adjutant General,
who not only reached out to our veterans to encourage their engagement
in the program, but who also participated in the Rockland District
Middle School ceremony. In addition, joining with the Guard in bringing
the History Channel's national award-winning program to fruition in
Maine was Time Warner Cable, which sponsored the program and should be
commended for its example and dedication to this outstanding endeavor.
Together, leaders of our military and our media have combined efforts
in the noble undertaking of saluting our veterans through the Take a
Veteran to School Day initiative, which brings veterans into our
schools to share their personal stories of service and sacrifice for
the Nation with students and educators. It has become an invaluable
opportunity for students to learn what Veterans Day and serving our
Nation in uniform truly means--and it provides a unique chance to
express a heartfelt and well-earned ``thank you'' to the brave men and
women who from generation to generation have woven the fabric of
America's greatness.
And I couldn't be more pleased that more than 650 students and
educators, 200 local community members, and 100 veterans from every
military conflict since World War II made Maine's inaugural Take a
Veteran to School Day program a resounding success. This year, in my
State of Maine, three schools--York Middle School, Biddeford High
School, and Rockland District Middle School--shared in paying tribute
to our veterans in our first ever program.
I cannot thank the sponsors and supporters of this program enough for
recognizing how vital it is that young Americans are able to hear the
personal stories of service in the military, and to remember the
sacrifices made by Maine veterans for our country. In fact, Time Warner
Cable recorded 20 veterans' stories for the Library of Congress's
Veterans' History Project, which will be added to its archives so that
future generations will have an opportunity to hear veterans speak
about their service to the Nation, bringing a personal perspective to
military history that students otherwise would only learn about through
books.
As The York Weekly reported, York Middle School Principal Steve
Bishop introduced the veterans in attendance by saying, ``my hope is
that you gain a sense that the opportunities you have today are made
possible by the veterans behind me.'' As you can imagine, I am looking
forward to next year's program, and I hope that States and school
districts around the Nation will follow suit in shining a spotlight on
our veterans through this wonderful enterprise. Make no mistake, it is
because of our veterans that America is the greatest Nation on Earth,
and the Take a Veteran to School Day program is a shining testament to
that immutable truth.
When we pay homage to our courageous veterans, we are demonstrating
that we always reserve our deepest respect and praise for those who
have summoned the courage to place themselves in harm's way on our
behalf. That they have done so in order to ensure the blessings of
liberty makes us grateful beyond words.
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