[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 19459]
[From the U.S. 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 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.

                          ____________________