Honoring Maine's Everyday Heroes

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. In Maine, we are blessed to have a state filled with countless everyday heroes who devote their lives to helping others and to making our cities, towns, and neighborhoods better places to live. The dictionary defines a hero as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life; or a person noted for special achievement in a particular field. I define “hero” as any person who goes out of his or her way to improve the lives of the people and communities in which they live.

This Thanksgiving, I want to thank and recognize people throughout Maine for making a difference. It would be impossible to list each and every one of them, but I would like to take this opportunity to share some examples of Mainers who are heroes in their own communities.

Volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians help save the lives of thousands of people each year in Maine. The difference that these individuals make every day is to be commended. Their sacrifice and heroism are an inspiration to us all. Each day, these individuals go above and beyond in order to make a difference. Many of these volunteers pay for their own training, and take time from their family and full-time jobs to help their neighbors in times of need. I want to thank the volunteer firefighters and EMTs throughout Maine for their dedication to helping others.

Another volunteer who helps others is Kathy Duke. For the past four years, Kathy has run the Stone Soup Food Pantry on Bacon Street in Biddeford. Although Kathy is a volunteer, she works seven days a week—taking time to educate people about the problems of homelessness, making people aware of the pantry’s services, and soliciting and gathering funds and donations. In addition to opening the Stone Soup Food Pantry two days a week, Kathy opens the pantry if there is ever an emergency. She also serves meals at the Wayside Soup kitchen in Portland and at the Alfred Shelter; sends weekly cheer cards to homeless persons suffering serious illness; helps people receive social services; holds a yearly Christmas party for the neighborhood children in Biddeford; and buys, collects, and wraps hundreds of Christmas presents for the homeless. Jodi Bissonnette, Executive Director for the Food Rescue Program, has said, “This is the retired woman who is supposed to be taking time for herself, and instead all she can do is take care of others. I can’t say enough about her and the devotion she has to the people she works with.”

Johna Lovely is dedicated to educating people about another important issue: workplace violence. Johna dedicated herself to this cause following the death of her 20-year old daughter, Erin Sperrey, in January. A co-worker is charged with killing Erin while she was working at a Caribou coffee shop. In honor of Erin, Johna established “Erin’s Fund” to educate employers about workplace violence through workshops. In addition, Johna has developed a website dedicated to this issue. Through her efforts, new security systems have already been installed at eight businesses throughout Aroostook County. The Aroostook County branch of the American Red Cross recently recognized Johna for her action with the Educator Award, and I also commend her for her efforts to make workplaces safer.

David Heald would describe himself as an ordinary person who found himself in extraordinary circumstances. David, a letter carrier who lives in Kennebunk, was driving home from work one summer afternoon last year when he witnessed a horrific crash. A motorcycle had collided with a car on Route 109 in Sanford. The severely injured motorcyclist, Shane Pero of Shapleigh, was lying in the street. His leg was severed. It was the worst of circumstances, but fortunately for Shane, David was the right man in the right place at the right time. Using life-saving skills he learned in the Navy, David took off his shirt to cover Shane’s wounds. Another witness gave David a bungee strap that the letter carrier used to fashion a tourniquet and successfully stopped the victim’s bleeding. Police officers on the scene said that if David had not made the tourniquet and applied it correctly; the motorcyclist would have died before paramedics arrived. David Heald was honored for his heroism with the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Hero of the Year Award. He and all our nation’s letter carriers are on the front lines community service and deserve our special thanks.

As the holiday season approaches, we can’t help but think of the men and women serving our country throughout the world. This year, the members of the 133rd Engineer Combat Battalion of Maine and New Hampshire, who served in Iraq, returned home. During my trip to Iraq, I was honored to have had the opportunity to not only thank the members of the 133rd in person for their service, but also to give them the good news that they were going home. The 133rd, headquartered in Gardiner, provided much needed support to the Iraqi people, all branches of Iraqi Security Forces, and multi-national coalition forces. Sadly, three soldiers of the 133rd were killed, and 35 were wounded while serving in Iraq. We continue to support the families of those Mainers who made the ultimate sacrifice. We honor their service, we will never forget them, and we continue to support their families. The unit has been recommended for the Meritorious Unit Commendation award by the Commanding General. Our country owes them great gratitude.

There are many servicemen and women from Maine who won’t be home for the holidays. Our thoughts remain with the 152nd Maintenance Company, led by Captain Chris Moody of Appleton, which has been mobilized for more than 11 months and has completed eight months in Iraq. According to Captain Moody, 75 percent of the unit, comprised of many Mainers, is responsible for Force Protection/Security for Camp Liberty, which is located at Baghdad International Airport. There are also members of the unit who are responsible for the repair and maintenance of the brigade’s wheeled and tracked vehicles. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Maine’s servicemen and women who are true heroes, putting their lives on the line everyday in service to our country.

We owe thanks to our nation’s veterans every day of the year. They have shouldered the cost of our freedom. One veteran, in particular, continues to use his talents to selflessly serve our nation and our state. As a young man during the Second World War, Galen Cole of Bangor served his country heroically in an armored division in Europe. He then came home and served his community, raising a family, building a business, and developing such worthwhile projects as the Maine World War II Memorial. He is a member of what is called the Greatest Generation, and he adds to its greatness. I was particularly pleased to welcome Galen to Washington, D.C. earlier this year as he led a group of more than 100 Maine veterans on a special visit to our nation’s capitol.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job as a public servant is to be able to personally meet individuals throughout our state who have devoted their lives to the good of our communities.

I wish to thank these individuals and all who have made Maine an even better place to live. These individuals are a blessing to our state for which we should all be grateful this holiday season.

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