Gen. Earl Adams, one of Maine’s finest

By U.S. Sen. Angus King
(I-Maine)

As President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union Address, one of Maine’s best was in the gallery of the House of Representatives to hear the speech firsthand. Retired Major General Earl Adams, who led the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management during much of my tenure as Governor, joined me as my State of the Union guest on Jan. 12. Gen. Adams has done so much for Maine, and I thought this would be a fitting way to honor his service to our state.

In his speech, President Obama emphasized the importance of having leaders who are willing to listen and work together with others even when they disagree. And as anyone who has been fortunate enough to work with Earl over the years knows, those are the very qualities that define him. Earl commanded the respect of his troops, returned that respect with fierce loyalty, and sought common-sense solutions to tough problems facing our state. He was one of my closest advisors during my administration, and he remains a close friend today.

A lifelong Mainer, Earl has served the state and the country for decades. After graduating from Presque Isle High School, he went on to the University of Maine where he enrolled in the advanced ROTC program. Upon graduation from UMaine in 1957, he was commissioned in the Army as a Second Lieutenant.

Though his service took him out of the state for a few years, Aroostook County eventually called him home and he settled back in Presque Isle. There he joined the Maine Army National Guard and became battalion commander for the 1st Battalion, 152nd Field Artillery. In 1971, he was selected as the first Recruiting and Retention Manager for the Maine Army National Guard, and under his forward-thinking leadership, the Maine Guard enlisted its first female servicemember. He went on to become the Maine Guard’s Chief of Staff, and brought that same bold, common-sense approach — which was a big reason why I later asked him to work in my administration.

It’s impossible to reflect on Earl’s impact in Maine without mentioning the Ice Storm of 1998, which happened 18 years ago this month. When our state faced a natural disaster greater than any in recent memory, he was the first person I called.

Nearly 500,000 people in our state were without electricity and running water. Tree limbs and downed power lines were scattered across the roads, and thousands of people were displaced after their roofs collapsed, their pipes froze and burst, or they were unable to heat and power their homes. So we mobilized the Maine National Guard for a statewide effort to ensure the safety of all those who needed help and to get the state back on its feet.

Earl organized the establishment of countless shelters throughout the state for those who needed them, directed the 133rd Engineer Battalion to assist utilities to clear the roads and help with repairs, and oversaw flight operations to search for Maine families isolated without power and food. This tireless work by the Maine National Guard in the weeks and months following the Ice Storm was truly heroic, and throughout the disaster relief effort, Earl had his steady hand on the helm.

Now retired, Earl lives in Pittston with his wife, Sheila — who was also in Washington for the State of the Union. In retirement, he has become a champion of early childhood education, continuing his sense of duty for the people of Maine. His long service record is recognized by several medals, commendations, and other distinctions of merit, but his true legacy can be found in the lives he has improved across Maine. As we move forward into 2016, I hope we can all reflect on Earl’s character and his resolve to do what is right for our communities, our state, and our country. As we say in Maine, he’s finest kind — and I’m proud to count him as a friend.