Dear Editor:

Veterans Day. Sometimes you wonder if we, as a community, remember what it stands for. Well, we sure did this year. A group of high schoolers and adults engaged in a wonderful and meaningful endeavor together. They went on a hike around our area for the "Summit Project " to honor our fallen Maine heroes.

Each carried a stone with the name and rank of the fallen veteran with them on the hike. They did this on a cold, rainy day which, by the way, was a day off from school. They had been given the option to cancel but to a person they said, "No, we want to do this," and so they did.

They hiked from the high school down through downtown, across the footbridge, and all around the east side. They stopped at the Fishermen's Memorial and took time to talk about their "vet " then hiked back to the town hall.

Then they walked in a parade back to the high school with folks lining the roadside, cheering them on. Finally, a ceremony was held in the high school gym with a military major speaking and the young hikers naming the veteran whose stone they had carried before placing the stones in a display case.

Following the ceremony, as everyone was enjoying cake and conversation, one the hikers said to me, "This is one of coolest things I've ever done."

Yeah, it was one of the coolest things in my life as well.

God Bless America!

Smith S. Climo

Southport