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By Diana Bowley of Bangor Daily News - GREENVILLE - They just keep on giving and giving. Maine’s Legion members gave service to their country and now are giving to their communities, and for that they were recognized Saturday by the Legion’s national commander, Paul A. Morin of Massachusetts. "The posts are doing outstanding work," Morin said in Dover-Foxcroft during one of several stops in a whirlwind tour of Maine’s American Legion posts. "Their commitment and support to the men and women serving the country is outstanding." The Legion was founded in France in March 1919 by members of the American Expeditionary Force. Morin, a Vietnam Veteran, said Maine’s American Legion ranks fourth in the nation for membership, which speaks highly of the civic responsibility of these men and women. "They’re doing great work in all areas," Morin said, especially in their compassion for and caring of fellow veterans, their strong national defense, their troop support, their Americanism, and their support for children and youth. The Legion’s benefactors are seemingly endless: Maine Blind Camp in Weld; Maine Special Olympics; Maine Veterans Homes; Homeless Veterans Stand-down; National Emergency Fund; the Togus VA Center; the Beals house, which provides overnight lodging for family members of veterans who are in-patients at Togus; VETAID, which assists veterans in need, and a number of local projects. At each stop, Morin learned of the local fund-raising efforts and the history of the post. "We’re a humble but historic post," Commander Pete Johnson of Post 94 in Greenville told Morin on Saturday during a luncheon. "It is a modest home, but it is steeped in history." Johnson said the post home used to be the ticket office for the Coburn Steamship Co. Constructed in 1927, the building was purchased by the Legion in 1942 with money raised by the sale of stamps and war bonds, he said. At one time the building, which was moved from the Junction Wharf to its Pritham Avenue location, housed black soldiers who were sent to guard the railroad trestles, according to Johnson. As he did in Greenville, Morin greeted local veterans in Dover-Foxcroft and Milo before visiting the Veterans Home in Bangor. In Milo, Legion members feted Morin with a turkey dinner and a program that included a moving POW-MIA ceremony. |