November 11th always marks an important day in Maine and around the nation on our calendars – of course it’s Veterans Day.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.
As someone who comes from a military family, I deeply appreciate the service and sacrifice of Maine veterans and their loved ones.
That’s why I recently reinvigorated the Aides-de-Camp program. That’s a council of military veterans who advise me on policies that impact Maine veterans.
For instance I had the honor of swearing in eleven veterans representing all branches of the military service – as well as two members of my cabinet who are veterans – into the Aides-de-Camp program. These Aides-de-Camp positions offer an important line of communication between our veterans and Maine state government.
We formed the Maine Veteran’s Dental Network, in partnership with Northeast Delta Dental, participating dental clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers to provide dental services to Maine’s veterans who otherwise can’t afford them.
I am also encouraging all Maine employers to take advantage of the unique skills of our veterans through our “Hire a Vet” campaign.
And, I have proclaimed this week – November 7 through November 13, 2021 – as Veterans Week in Maine to recognize the service and sacrifice of all Maine veterans.
On this Veterans Day, as we do every day, we recognize the men and women who faithfully served our state and nation in the Armed Forces. Let’s join together to thank them and their families for their sacrifice, their bravery, and their devotion to our country.
Today, our state can proudly say that we are home to more than 109,000 veterans – more than 8 percent of our adult population and one of the highest number of veterans per capita of any state in the nation.
But when you consider Maine’s long and proud history of military service, I guess that comes as no surprise.
During the Civil War for instance, more than 2.8 million people served, and more than 620,000 people gave, as President Lincoln said, “the last full measure of devotion.” Many of those men came from Maine. Our state contributed a higher proportion of citizens to the Union army than any other state in the nation.
President Lincoln also understood the toll these wars have on people and their families, and he also knew that bringing an end to war would not bring an end to our support for those who served.
“Let us strive on to finish the work we are in,” he said, “to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Today, we care for those who have borne the battle and honor what they fought for — so many rights which all are too fragile and too often taken for granted.
So to all Maine veterans — I thank you for your service from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the 1.3 million people in the State of Maine, we thank you for your sacrifice and for that of your families. To all those who have served and to those who continue to serve our country: our hearts are with you Veterans Day and this Veterans Week two thousand twenty-one.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.