Hike, ceremony to honor fallen service members Sept. 26

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

September 9, 2015 Outreach, Student Life

University of Maine community members are welcome to observe and participate in a hike and memorial ceremony to honor fallen service members on Saturday, Sept. 26.

The Summit Project (TSP) event will remember service members from UMaine and surrounding communities with a walk from the Maine Veterans’ Home in Bangor to Alfond Stadium on the UMaine campus for the military appreciation football game against Rhode Island.

Members of the public are welcome to observe the event along the route, on campus or at the football game. The 8-mile walk begins at 9 a.m. and is expected to take about three hours.

Spectators who wish to walk with the hikers may join the group starting in downtown Orono along Route 2 around 11:30 a.m. A memorial ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. on the steps of Fogler Library.

TSP is a nationally recognized, Maine-based service organization, that provides a living memorial to pay tribute to the fallen service members from Maine who have died in the line of duty since Sept. 11, 2001. TSP’s mission is to spread the memories of Maine’s fallen service members and elevate awareness of the project to communities throughout the state.

As part of the event, hikers will carry engraved TSP memorial stones that have been donated by family members to represent their fallen loved ones. Volunteers will learn about the service members whose stone they will carry, write a letter for the service member’s family, and will honor the fallen during the memorial service on campus following the trek.

Among the service members to be honored are four fallen UMaine Black Bears: Staff Sgt. David Veverka, Sgt. Nicholas Robertson, 1st Lt. James Zimmerman and Capt. Jay Brainard.

Starting at 2:30 p.m. the stones will be on display at the stadium prior to and during the game before becoming part of a temporary TSP display in the Memorial Room of the Memorial Union. Stones within the display will help share the memories of the fallen, along with the mission of TSP, with members of the community.

The majority of TSP stones will remain available at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Portland for customary tribute treks.

More about The Summit Project is online.

Contact: Elyse Kahl, 207.581.3747