Senator Collins Participates in Ceremony at Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery

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Caribou, ME—U.S. Senator Susan Collins participated in a special Veterans Day ceremony at the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery (NMVC) to honor Mainers who have served our nation in uniform.  Senator Collins delivered remarks and laid a memorial wreath.  The Loring Job Corps Center Color Guard presented the U.S. flag, Boy Scout Pack #184 led the Pledge of Allegiance, and members of the American Legion Post 136 Riders fired a 21-gun salute.  Approximately 100 veterans and community members attended the event.

“The men and women we honor on Veterans Day have defended our freedom in times of conflict, and they are our shield in times of peace,” said Senator Collins.  “We who enjoy the blessing of freedom are deeply grateful to those who have given so much to preserve it.  We honor those who paid the ultimate price.  We honor those who lived beyond their years of military service but who have since passed on.  And we honor those who are with us today.”

“Regardless of the time and place of their service, veterans share a bond.  It is a bond forged from courage, duty, and sacrifice,” Senator Collins continued.  “Nearly 20 million Americans now hold the title of veteran.  That includes almost 110,000 men and women here in Maine – one of the highest percentages of the population in the country.  They have earned our deepest thanks, not just on this Veterans Day, but for all the days to come.”

The NMVC opened in June 2003.  Senator Collins’ father, Don Collins, served on the committee that helped establish the veterans cemetery.  The community has supported a number of beautification and enhancement projects over the years, including the planting of hundreds of trees and perennials, walls of honor, columbarium walls, the POW/MIA Remembrance Park and footbridge, benches, committal shelter, and, most recently, a Battle Cross.