[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 180 (Monday, November 6, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REMEMBERING JOHN T. NOBLE AND RECOGNIZING THE MAINE VETERANS CEMETERY 
                               IN CARIBOU

 Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
significance of Maine Veterans Cemetery-Caribou and the individual and 
community spirit of generosity that sustains it as an honored and 
hallowed resting place for our Nation's veterans.
  Conceived in 1998, the Maine Veterans Cemetery in Caribou was created 
because of a small but determined grassroots effort in Aroostook 
County, ME, that I was proud to support when I was Governor of Maine 
and am proud today to acknowledge as Senator for Maine. A diverse team 
of dedicated people came together to create the Northern Maine Veterans 
Cemetery Corporation, NMVCC, comprised of members from various veteran 
service organizations, community members, and veterans themselves who 
knew the significance of this undertaking. Since the first concept many 
hands have helped develop and beautify these 46 acres which provide 
inground burial for 12,000 and columbarium wall niches for over 1,000 
more of our honorably discharged veterans. But this cemetery represents 
so much more than a final resting place.
  It is fitting to include in this statement the name of John T. Noble, 
the distinguished veteran who epitomizes the efforts behind this 
cemetery. John would not want all the credit to go to him, and indeed 
there were many who worked tirelessly to make their dream come to 
fruition; however, it was the late John T. Noble, along with his wife 
Joyce, who made the first significant and lasting donation of 33 acres 
of his family's land to honor veterans and their families for their 
service and sacrifice. They went on to donate even more land and 
provide countless donations to ensure this cemetery was one to be proud 
of. John lived by example as a person of great ethics, compassion, and 
generosity. He possessed these traits throughout his life as a member 
of the U.S. Armed Forces, a businessman, a husband, and a quiet 
philanthropist who didn't seek recognition for his good works. His 
motivations were never about himself but about how he could give back 
to others.
  Our veterans risk their lives in the service to our great Nation. 
They make countless personal sacrifices to protect freedom, and many go 
on to continue to find ways to serve others--like the honorable efforts 
of a small community in northern Maine to turn what once was farmland 
into a reverent final resting place for those who gave so much. It is 
my honor to recognize the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery-Caribou and 
to pay tribute to John and Joyce Noble. Due to the generosity they 
demonstrated, the northern region of Maine is able to provide a proper 
final resting place for our brave veterans.

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