LEWISTON, ME — Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) honors our veterans in a very visible way.

In the second-floor hallway of the Central Maine Heart & Vascular Institute (CMHVI) there is a “Veterans Wall.” It was created by Michael Ricci, MD, who is the former chief of vascular surgery at CMHVI.

Dr. Ricci is also a retired colonel and U.S. Air Force flight surgeon. He wanted to honor his fellow servicemen and women, so he started taking photos of his patients who have served in the military.

Dr. Ricci printed, framed and mounted the photos and this labor of love has grown into what is now called our Veterans Wall – a heartfelt homage to hundreds of vascular and cardiac patients and their dedication to our country. Click here to see a video of the Veterans Wall.

“Shortly after I started here, I noticed many of my patients were veterans. I later learned Maine has the largest number of veterans per capita of any state. I think it’s great that we honor those who have served on Veterans Day. But it’s easy to forget about the sacrifices they made after Nov. 11 has come and gone. This is our way of honoring our veterans year-round.”