The Lincoln County News thanks all veterans for their service. Words cannot express the gratitude we have for those who defend our rights and protect our freedoms.
For the edition of the paper that prints around Veterans Day, we try to highlight our servicemen and women through a few articles. There are three in this week’s edition.
In “Faces of Vietnam KIA completed in time for Veterans Day” on page 1A, Paula Roberts shares the stories of the seven Lincoln County servicemen who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War. A photo of each young man appears in the article, thanks to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s recent completion of its Wall of Faces project, which matches a picture to all 58,281 veterans on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In “Jefferson man dedicated to serving veterans and students” on page 1, Walter Greene-Morse speaks about his experiences in the U.S. Army and the work he does taking veterans on fly-fishing trips and serving on the Jefferson School Committee.
Also on the front page is an article from Bisi Cameron Yee about a collaboration between The Peace Gallery in Damariscotta and the Veterans Writing Project, a nonprofit that has been providing writing seminars to veterans and their families at no cost. Since its launch in 2011, the Veterans Writing Project has provided seminars in 25 states.
We often hear that veterans do not wish to talk about their service for countless reasons, all of which are valid. There is also something truly powerful about shared experiences, which Bisi captures with her glimpses into the writing seminar. From shared laughter about the quality of “chow” to a frank discussion about what post-traumatic stress disorder truly feels like, the seminar provides an intimate and safe space for veterans to talk about not just what they went through, but how it made them feel.
We will never be able to fully repay any of the countless individuals who have served, but providing them a place in which they can process the experience is a step in the right direction.
