It was a bustling and festive atmosphere at the Italian Heritage Center on Friday, as many veterans, Rotarians and their guests gathered for the second annual Veterans Day lunch. Held on the day before Veterans Day, the event was both a moving program and a triumph of logistics as a team of volunteers (led by event chairs Paul Tully and Charlie Frair) managed to efficiently link guests to tickets and tables.
 
With Don Campbell singing from the front and the 1st Battalion 25th Marines presenting the colors, the program was off and running.
 
Councillor Ed Suslovic, in his greeting from the City, spoke about the fact that every veteran essentially “writes a blank check to the United States” and urged all citizens to assist veterans by not just attending events like this, but by voting, and by looking after their families while they are deployed.
 
Keynote speaker, United States Senator Susan Collins conveyed a similar message, telling us about Maine’s longstanding role as one of the states that is first or second in the nation for per capita in armed forces participation. Speaking from the heart, largely without notes, she talked about kids in Oakland honoring veterans, about the Bangor Troop Greeters, and about her experiences gained from eight trips to Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
She also spoke about her own family, with the story of her father, now 91, who was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded twice and then a shell landed beside him and failed to explode. “Had it done so,” she pointed out, “I wouldn't be here today.” She remembered Memorial Day parades riding on her dad's shoulders – best vantage point for the entire parade. For her, these experiences emphasized “the enormity of our collective debt to our veterans.”
 
 
The Armed Services Medley, performed by Kathy Grammer on keyboard with Betty Rines on trumpet, was a hit as always, as veterans from various branches of the service tried to out-sing each other. Russ Burleigh, in leading the performance, shared the story of his WWI veteran father.
 
We heard from Colonel Andrew Gibson - a chaplain with the Maine National Guard who works around the state. He made the point that hiring veterans is one of the very best ways to thank them for their service. Hiring veterans, he posited, not just acknowledges their service, but makes your business better. They will add value and bring experience. Just to join the military right now is difficult – he noted that of all of the students who graduated from high schools in June, 72% would be ineligible due to low scores on the entrance exam or no diploma, or bad grades, or poor fitness, or criminality. Of the remaining 28% who do qualify, “you need to have someone who wants to volunteer and the number gets small quickly.” So by hiring a veteran, you’ll get someone with additional maturity, wide experience and one who has already been heavily vetted.
 
The program’s final Speaker was Major Adam Cote, the former commander of Maine’s famed 133rd Engineering Battalion. He complimented Senator Collins on her singing voice, and noted that November 10th is the Marine Corps birthday, something that elicited cheers from the Marines, former Marines and supporters in the audience. Then he became serious in noting that it is important that there are two national holidays set aside to honor veterans – Memorial Day being a somber remembrance of those who died, and Veterans Day, a more festive occasion set aside to celebrate veterans and happily recognize their service. He noted that Mainers have received 67 Medals of Honor, but that for every Medal of Honor winner there are tens of thousands of others who have contributed, sometimes with their lives. Veterans have experience: fighting in many roles, in logistics, as mechanics, administrators and rescue personnel. He noted that veterans are 45% more likely to start businesses than other citizens, and currently work in every vocation.
 
 
Finally, Rotary Past President Kris Rosado presented a recumbent bike to the VAST program - Veterans Adaptive Sports and Training at Pineland – the recumbent bike will be used by veterans in their physical training and rehab activities. The bike was graciously donated by Tammy Steeves.
 
(Photo: Tammy Steeves, Kristina Sebasteanaski of the VAST program, and Past President Kris Rosado.)
 
All in all, it was an extraordinary program, one that is almost certain to become one of Portland’s big annual events in the years to come. Thanks again to Paul, Kris, Charlie and all the Rotarians who worked hard to make the program happen.