AUGUSTA—
Democratic and Republican lawmakers dedicated a permanent bronze plaque to honor Maine women veterans at a ceremony at the State House on February 18. Lawmakers worked with the Maine Veterans Service to raise more than $50,000 for the plaque and to compile the first recorded list of women veterans in the state.
More than two hundred and fifty people attended the ceremony to hang the plaque in the State House Hall of Flags in a prominent position among existing plaques honoring veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. There are 10,000 Maine women veterans but no recorded list existed prior to this effort.
The plaque design depicts Maine women who served in different U.S. military capacities over four centuries. This included Hannah Watts Weston, a Revolutionary War patriot, Emily W. Dana, a Civil War nurse, Patricia A. (Chadwick) Erickson, a World War II Army Air Force Service pilot, and Sgt. Annette M. Bachman, a soldier in the Maine Army National Guard who served in the War on Terrorism.
Silver commemorative coins with the image from the plaque were given to all Maine women veterans who attended the event in a show appreciation for their sacrifices.
Photo caption: Rep. Cain sings National Anthem at ceremony to honor Maine Women veterans. (Courtesy photo)
Democratic and Republican lawmakers dedicated a permanent bronze plaque to honor Maine women veterans at a ceremony at the State House on February 18. Lawmakers worked with the Maine Veterans Service to raise more than $50,000 for the plaque and to compile the first recorded list of women veterans in the state.
More than two hundred and fifty people attended the ceremony to hang the plaque in the State House Hall of Flags in a prominent position among existing plaques honoring veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. There are 10,000 Maine women veterans but no recorded list existed prior to this effort.
The plaque design depicts Maine women who served in different U.S. military capacities over four centuries. This included Hannah Watts Weston, a Revolutionary War patriot, Emily W. Dana, a Civil War nurse, Patricia A. (Chadwick) Erickson, a World War II Army Air Force Service pilot, and Sgt. Annette M. Bachman, a soldier in the Maine Army National Guard who served in the War on Terrorism.
Silver commemorative coins with the image from the plaque were given to all Maine women veterans who attended the event in a show appreciation for their sacrifices.
Photo caption: Rep. Cain sings National Anthem at ceremony to honor Maine Women veterans. (Courtesy photo)
