This week, I am offering a few words of praise for organizations and people I have put off for one reason or another.

For weeks I have been meaning to thank our area fire departments and firefighters in the region. In the past couple of years, as we've stepped up our daily coverage of fires and accidents for our websites and weekly, we invested in some hand-held scanners for our editors and reporters. Having one beside me during the day and one at home during the "off" hours, I have come to appreciate the dedication and knowledge that firefighters possess. They are called out at all hours of the night, in good weather and bad, and respond with the aplomb of a musician performing at Carnegie Hall. Case in point: Within 10 minutes of hearing about the downed tree in East Boothbay on Oct. 29, our production employee and Boothbay firefighter, Mike Marr, gave me a ride to the scene. When we arrived, barricades had been set up, fire trucks were parked strategically so no one could get near the live wires and firefighters were directing traffic. Mike, even though he wasn't "on duty," even lent a hand and put up a warning sign up the road as we headed back to the office. Thank you firefighters.

Another organization I would like to commend is the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent of Schools Eileen King for finally getting the signal lights and signs up at the crosswalk between the school property and the YMCA. Having witnessed a child getting struck by a vehicle at that location many years ago, and witnessing other close calls, I am hoping these signal lights and signs will better alert motorists about the crossing area. Thank you.

Finally, with Veterans Day (Nov. 11) next week, I am taking this opportunity to thank our area veterans for their service. My friend, Munro Dodge, is much better than I am at remembering to thank our veterans at every chance. He writes letters to the editor every Memorial Day, provides the newspaper with information about war anniversaries and military facts, and he keeps a keen eye on that monument in East Boothbay just below the house where he grew up. This week he brought in an interesting article about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and what the guards there must endure and commit to. Because of copyright laws, we were unable to reprint it. But, if you want to learn about dedication and duty, look for articles on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the Internet. As Munro said, showing up to work every day pales in comparison to what these guards -- and our military -- commit to do for our country. Thank you veterans.