A one-man protest against the longest partial federal government shutdown in history took place in Boothbay Harbor this week. Retired Maj. Christopher Charles Carroll of Rockland stood outside Hannaford’s entrance Jan. 22 holding a sign showing support for his fellow U.S. Coast Guardsmen. Carroll is a retired U.S. Air Force Major who also served 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard reserve. With the partial shutdown entering its 32nd day, and prospects of guardsmen missing their second paycheck, Carroll took to the streets of Rockland, Thomaston and now Boothbay Harbor with his message.

Bundled up in a heavy winter coat, scarf and wearing his  government-issued mukluks, Carroll  held a red, white and blue sign stating “Pay our United States Coast Guard.”

He implored Congressional leaders to find a compromise to end the shutdown. “Something is desperately wrong with our country if we can’t pay the people protecting us,” he said. “The Constitution provides for our common defense, and if we can’t pay for our defense then the system is failing.”

Carroll began his protest the week of Jan. 14 in various locations around Rockland and Thomaston. His initial thought was supporting guardsmen located at the Rockland base. He expanded his protest on Jan. 22 by holding his sign in Boothbay Harbor. “I thought the shutdown would end after a couple of days. When it didn’t I began moving around Rockland and Thomaston with my sign for a couple of days. Now I’m here, and I’ll be back tomorrow (Jan. 23) depending upon the weather.”

Carroll believes Coast Guardsmen could receive their pay if U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky follows advice from his former colleague from Maine. Carroll quoted former Maine senator Olympia Snowe’s book “Fighting for Common Ground: How we can fix the stalemate in Congress.” Carroll described the book about a time in Washington, D.C. when bipartisanship was practiced. “In her book, Olympia Snowe said bipartisan wasn’t a dirty word. When she and Sen. Collins served people compromised to get things done. I pin the blame on McConnell. He could send a bill to the president today to pay the Coast Guard, but he won’t,” Carroll said.

The retired major also wants President Trump to support Coast Guardsmen like he has supported all armed servicemen in past years. Carroll stated President Trump has visited a coast guard base several times near his Mar-a-Lago Resort in Palm Beach, Florida. “He supports the troops. He intervened before Dec. 30 so they got paid. So now he should become involved and demand Congress forwards the bill to him.”

The partial shutdown began on Dec. 22, 2018 when President Trump and Congress failed to reach an agreement over border security. Previously, the two parties reached an agreement on the remaining 75 percent of federal spending which runs until September 2019. The partial shutdown is over how much money Congress should allocate for border security. President Trump wants $5.7 billion for constructing a wall along the Mexican border. Democrats want to spend money on other border security measures.