Representative Zager: Lesson learned from Joshua Chamberlain

 While planting flags at veterans’ graves with neighbors, and attending the city’s Memorial Day commemoration in Monument Square, I’ve been contemplating what we can learn from those we honor. 

Memorial Day stems from the Civil War, and no state in the Union mustered more troops per capita for that war than Maine. The plaque on the pedestal in Monument Square records that Portland alone sent over 4,000 men at a time when the city’s total population was only 26,000 .

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (1828-1914)

At the beginning of the book, To the Last Man (2020), Jonathan Bratten, author and officer in the Maine National Guard recounts the origins of Maine’s Guard. One of the predecessor units was the 20 th Maine Regiment, commanded during the Civil War by Joshua Chamberlain. Chamberlain is known to many as a 19th-century recipient of the Medal of Honor, President of Bowdoin College and governor of Maine. Before all that, though, he was a relatively unknown former theology scholar and professor of rhetoric who suddenly found himself a lieutenant colonel in a colossal military struggle. The challenges in command were far-ranging, and many consequential decisions were not battlefield ones. For instance, Bratten describes a moment in the middle of the Civil War in which Chamberlain had to decide what to do with 120 mutineers:

Chamberlain was given orders that should the mutineers not comply, he could execute them...[However,] seeing that the men had not eaten in three days, he ensured that they were fed, removed the guards, and then assembled them en mass [emphasis in original] to address their concerns. He stated that they were soldiers in the U.S. Army, no matter what, that he would treat them with the respect they deserved, and that he would do what he could to address their claim. At the same time, he appealed to their status as Mainers and requested their help for the campaign that was coming. As a result of this handling of the situation, [practically all of them chose to remain in Chamberlain’s unit and not desert]. Less than a month later, these men played an important role during the fight for Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg on 2 July 1863. Positioned on the extreme left flank of the US line, the 20th Maine was attacked on the front and flank by superior numbers of Confederates...The additional 100 rifles...swung the balance in favor of the 20th Maine in that engagement.

This is a moving historical moment. Joshua Chamberlain’s instinct to listen and empathize significantly figured into the 20th Maine’s eventual battlefield success. Many people credit the 20th Maine with delivering victory in the most important moment of the most important battle of the most important war since we became the United States. It’s no accident that two years later, Brevet Major General Joshua Chamberlain was hand-picked to preside over the surrender of the entire Confederate Army at Appomattox Courthouse, thus ending the war.

Perhaps we all could take a cue from General Chamberlain: listening and empathizing help us build our best future. This applies to all of our daily interactions, as well as lawmaking. The 130th Maine Legislature has held hearings on approximately 2,000 bills in the past four months. The committee on which I sit, Health and Human Services, is one of the busiest and has had hundreds of hours of committee hearings and work sessions - which are both humbling and enlightening - to refine and recommend bills sent to the full membership; now the focus will be on the floor of the House and Senate as we head into the last few weeks of session.

Thanks to Maine’s high vaccination rates ( graphic ) and lowering COVID-19 case rate, the Maine State House has reopened to the public for these proceedings. I am so proud of and grateful for the health care workers and the people of Maine for getting us to this point. In the few weeks remaining in the legislative session, masks will continue to be required in the building in order to protect our hardworking (and underpaid) nonpartisan staff, and members of the public who still may not be fully vaccinated.

One of the biggest tasks ahead of us is passing the second part of the biennial budget. Less than a month ago, Gov. Mills made a historic announcement that she plans for the state government to reach 55% of the funding for local K-12 education costs. Such investment would not only be beneficial to Maine's students, teachers and school staff, but it also would give municipalities across Maine the chance to lower property taxes.

I have been a strong supporter of the state funding 55% of local K-12 education costs because it’s good for kids, and it is a major step towards lowering property taxes here in District 41. Many folks here have told me that high property taxes are causing them undue financial stress; as a result, people are choosing to give up their family homes. For the sake of keeping our friends, families and neighbors in their homes, I look forward to voting in favor of this measure.

On a personal note, I also have sponsored, co-sponsored or testified on dozens of bills aimed at improving our health system and outcomes; lowering healthcare costs; battling the opioid epidemic, safeguarding communities, moving us towards equal justice while dismantling systemic racism; strengthening our economy; and preparing to not only recover well from COVID-19, but also to meet emerging challenges of the rest of the 21st century. I am so thankful to everyone who has worked hard on these bills, including the diligent nonpartisan staff, members of our community and many of my colleagues in the Maine Legislature.

If you have any ideas, questions or concerns, please reach out to me. I am best able to serve our district by hearing directly from you. I certainly don’t have all the answers but will do my best to listen and empathize; study and understand; and serve with humility and heart.

Rep. Sam Zager M.D., Serving House District 41, Maine.