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[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 31, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5728-S5729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the 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

[[Page S5729]]

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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