Lawmaker proposes memorial Maine’s surviving veterans of WWI would be identified, honored

AUGUSTA – “They wouldn’t all be veterans of the United States forces,” says Rep. James Skoglund. “They might have served with Canadian forces or British forces.”

Whatever their backgrounds, Skoglund says the surviving veterans of World War I living in Maine deserve recognition. He has proposed creating a State House honor roll for them.

“In many ways, it was the worst of all wars. The worst of all wars, with the trench warfare and everything,” the St. George Democrat says.

Skoglund says he has been unable to find a reliable source that could identify, or even count, the veterans he hopes to honor.

Simple arithmetic suggests the typical age would be 100 or older. That could mean no more than a dozen or two reside in Maine, Skoglund says.

The war ended with the armistice of Nov. 11, 1918. Nationwide, the number of WWI veterans has been pegged at fewer than 3,000.

Skoglund has formally written to his legislative colleagues, soliciting their help in publicizing an effort he credits to constituent Dana Smith of Tenants Harbor.

“Here in Maine, there must be a few veterans, centenarians, wondering, ‘Am I the only one left? Does anyone care?'” Skoglund wrote.

Skoglund says he believes the best chance for finding the aged veterans is with the help of the media.

“I think it’s something that people would take an interest in,” he says.

In 2000, Congress created the Veterans History Project. The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress was charged with collecting and preserving audiotaped and videotaped oral histories and documentary materials recounting the service of America’s war veterans.

The Veterans History Project covers World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars.