Boothbay Region high schooler Addie Barter, 15, has gained national recognition for her commitment to the Boothbay region and involvement with local veterans, but a recent gift has made this even more personal.  

Inspired by her winning the 2025 Billy Michal Student Leadership Award, Officer Larry Brown gifted Barter a signed copy of Sarah Sherman’s “Looking Back Vol 2.,” so she could learn more about her great uncle, Sgt. Gordon Tibbetts.  

According to Register records, Tibbetts, 21, was killed in action in 1971 after his vessel detonated a mine and sank during the Vietnam War. Tibbetts was a 1968 BRHS graduate and co-captain of the football team. The school’s scoreboard was dedicated to him and a plaque detailing his sacrifice can still be found near the field.  

“I figured I would be honored if I could give (the book) to her, so she could get to read the whole story, because (Tibbetts' death) hit this area very hard,” said Brown.  

Containing letters from Tibbetts to family members, the book creates a fuller picture of the stories Barter has been hearing from her grandmother since she was young. Barter was struck by the positivity Tibbetts displayed in his writings, echoing the family penchant for remaining upbeat despite the circumstances.  

Barter also reflected on how recent experiences have shed new light on her understanding of her great uncle. For instance, when she was in elementary school, Barter brought in Tibbetts' military pins for show and tell, and later learned Tibbetts was also the recipient of the Purple Heart.  

But it wasn’t until this past summer during a trip to the World War II Museum in New Orleans with other award winners and seeing the display dedicated to the Purple Heart, that she fully appreciated what the honor meant. “It's just a sight to see.” 

In addition to family, Barter has learned from fellow veterans who knew Tibbetts while she was a representative for the Girl Scouts during local Memorial Day parades: “He did a lot for this country, this community. He was a great football player. That's what I always heard. He was just like the best football player, and he was the greatest sport.” 

Like positivity, Barter enjoyed knowing that being a “go-getter” was also an inherited trait.   

But it wasn’t only Tibbetts’ story the book unlocked for Barter. She explained, “It hits a little bit harder when you read about people from around the area, because you know who their family is, because it's such a small town.”  

It all goes back to Barter's belief in sharing and listening to the stories of veterans, especially first-hand experiences. This is so important to her that Barter is thinking of someday starting a nonprofit that focuses on giving veterans space to share their accounts and connect them to fellow service members.

Speaking to Barter, Brown added, “There's nothing would be any nicer if I was a veteran to be able to sit down to talk. I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it, but to sit down with somebody like (Barter) who's young and full of energy and wants to hear my story. That's better than any therapy session I can go to.”