AUGUSTA – Buddy Doyle, an author and photographer from Gardiner, was at the State House on Monday to hand out copies of a new book that he hopes will end up in every library in the state.
“Faces of the Maine Guard & Reserve” is a compilation of calendar photos of Maine’s “citizen soldiers” taken since 2005.
“I simply want to make people aware of the sacrifice these people have gone through and are continuing to go through,” he said.
Doyle and his wife, Geri, planned to give each legislator two copies — one to keep and one to donate to their local libraries.
A grant from Oakhurst Dairy paid for 1,000 copies. Doyle is looking for other companies or individuals to sponsor a run of 1,500 more books.
In addition to getting the books to all libraries in Maine, Doyle wants members of Congress to hand them out. He said Maj. Gen. John W. “Bill” Libby, adjutant general of the Maine Army National Guard, recently gave one to Vice President Joe Biden.
The book pays tribute to the soldiers by showing each one in two photos — one while deployed and the other while at their civilian jobs.
There’s a letter carrier from Bangor, a police officer from Augusta, an assistant school principal, and a potato farmer from Aroostook County.
Libby said that when the calendar project started in 2005, he saw it as an opportunity to recognize the men and women who have been deployed. Money from the sale of the calendars is contributed to a fund that helps military families cover expenses while loved ones are away.
“We want to put (the books) in local public libraries, where the average citizen can see other average citizens who serve, and it will be important to future generations to recognize what sacrifice is all about,” Libby said.
MaineToday Media State House Reporter Susan Cover can be contacted at 620-7015 or at: scover@centralmaine.com
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