Maine’s first lady Ann LePage will be the keynote speaker during this year’s Veterans Day ceremony and open house at the Windham Veterans Center.
The ceremony, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, will be LePage’s first visit to the center, located at 35 Veterans Memorial Drive, according to Willie Goodman, commander of the Windham VFW Post 10643.
“I know having her with us will bring added excitement to the day,” said Goodman, of the VFW-sponsored event. “Mrs. LePage’s top priority since becoming first lady in 2011 has been to be a strong voice for the military, their families and Maine’s veterans.
“We’re honored she accepted our invitation,” Goodman added.
The Windham Chamber Singers are scheduled to perform patriotic songs during the service and winners of this year’s VFW-sponsored student essay competitions will be recognized and read their essays during the ceremony, which is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.
LePage participates in several Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies in Maine every year, said Lynn Harvey, director of the Blaine House in Augusta. In addition to the ceremony in Windham, LePage is expected to visit the Family Ice Center in Falmouth on Veterans Day at 12:30 p.m. to have lunch and speak to the veterans.
According to Harvey, LePage has served as an advocate for military service members, their families and veterans throughout her tenure as the first lady. Since her husband Paul LePage was sworn into office as Maine’s 74th governor in 2011, Ann LePage has participated in the Wreaths Across America Annual Convoy to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia each year in December.
“One of the things she says in her speeches is that this nation is still at war, our longest war, and yet you hear more talk about when Tom Brady was suspended,” Harvey said. “You don’t hear enough about the fact that we still have people in harm’s way trying to protect our freedoms here at home.”
In Windham, she is expected to talk about the mission of the Wreaths Across America project and the importance of remembering and honoring the fallen soldiers, Harvey said. She is also expected to talk about a new effort by the Bureau of Veterans Services, the Maine Veterans Legacy Project, which launched Tuesday.
“She will talk about ways you can honor current veterans and veterans of past wars,” Harvey said, “and about teaching the next generation the importance of freedom and defining it.”
According to a statement from the governor’s office, the new project aims to help preserve “the living histories of veterans,” and “provides an opportunity for all generations of Maine families to connect with our military heroes, and enables citizens to actively volunteer to protect American history.”
“It’s all about preserving Maine’s veterans’ legacies through video and audio recordings,” Harvey said. Interviews with Maine’s veterans will be filed by the Maine State Archives and be available for viewing by the public.
Goodman said the VFW invited LePage to the Windham Veterans Center “because of the fact that she’s done so much for veterans” during her tenure.
“She’s very inspirational in the veterans’ community and I think a lot of people will appreciate what she does,” he said. “To have her here is an honor for us as veterans.”
Vietnam veteran Rod Voisine, 1st Commander American Legion Post 148, will lead a Vietnam Killed in Action Memorial dedication in the Veterans Center Memorial Garden during the end of the ceremony. A small granite stone, created in memory of all the men and women who were killed in action during the Vietnam War, along with 52 pavers identifying soldiers killed in action from 12 communities in Cumberland County, including Standish, Sebago and Gray, will be placed in the garden at that time.
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