[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12658]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE MIDCOAST AREA VETERANS MEMORIAL WALL

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I wish to honor and recognize 
with the highest esteem the many volunteers, veterans' organizations 
and civic and municipal entities responsible for establishing the 
Midcoast Area Veterans Memorial Wall in Rockland, Maine, that honors 
the extraordinary service and sacrifice of all our Nation's military 
veterans.
  Established and managed by the Midcoast Area Veterans Memorial 
Corporation, a nonprofit corporation comprised of members from the 
American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the Marine Corps 
League, Rockland Rotary, Rockland Kiwanis, the Benevolent and 
Protective Order (BPO) of Elks, and the City of Rockland, the Memorial 
Wall is located on upper Limerock Street in Rockland on property owned 
by the American Legion Post No. 1. The location of the Memorial is, 
appropriately, also the site of an 1861 Civil War encampment of the 
local Fourth Regiment of Maine Volunteers.
  Undeniably, nothing unites us more as Mainers and Americans than the 
limitless pride we take in our revered and noble veterans. Indeed, in 
Maine, we also cherish the tremendous distinction of having, on any 
given day, the second most veterans per capita of any State in the 
Nation. Such devotion to country is the embodiment of the self-
sacrificing principles that Mainers live by and have passed down from 
one generation to the next. This selfless way of thinking also inspired 
and motivated a small group of individuals more than 16 years ago to 
begin formulating plans to establish a memorial to honor our veterans 
in Midcoast Maine. After a long, dedicated effort and several site 
location changes, the Midcoast Area Veterans Memorial Wall has finally 
secured a permanent home.
  The Midcoast Area Veterans Memorial Wall is by all accounts a 
beautifully designed and landscaped tribute to the unfathomable service 
and sacrifice of the many Americans exceptional enough to wear the 
uniform--not only the 21.8 million veterans alive today, including more 
than 134,000 from the State of Maine, but also those who are no longer 
with us. Featuring stunning black granite tiles etched with digitized 
pictures of veterans, the wall serves as a fitting and moving tribute 
to those who so ably and courageously served under the Stars and 
Stripes to protect and preserve the cherished principles that have made 
our nation the greatest on earth. And, while new tiles are added twice 
yearly--at Memorial Day and Veterans Day--the Midcoast Area Veterans 
Memorial Wall is always open and provides an opportunity for each of us 
to express our boundless gratitude to those who have placed service 
above self not just on national holidays, but on every day of every 
month of every year.
  On August 3, 2012, the Midcoast Area Veterans Memorial Wall will 
officially be dedicated and will feature remarks from Maine's esteemed 
First Lady Ann LePage, as well as officers and representatives of USCGC 
Abbie Burgess, USCGC Tackle, USCGC Thunder Bay, USS San Antonio, the 
United States Marine Corps, and the Maine Army National Guard.
  On the occasion of the official dedication of the Midcoast Area 
Veterans Memorial Wall, I convey my deep and abiding appreciation to 
the many dedicated volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past 
16 years to bring this day to fruition. This faithful and successful 
effort exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a Mainer and an 
American.

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