Mid Coast Veterans Council

06/20/2026

Veterans, come on down to Brunswick Tractor Supply. Come learn your benefits, meet your brothers and sisters in arms, and grab some lunch. They have several cool tractors too!

06/19/2026

Come find us Saturday. Know a Veteran that need help with benefits? Grab them on the way to see us!

Join us at the Brunswick Tractor Supply, for a veteran expo, Saturday, June 20th. Tractor Supply is also hosting a tractor show. Should be a fun day

06/13/2026

Super fun events coming up!!

06/12/2026

*MEET NANCY !*
Nancy Hamlin serves as the Director of the Mid‑Coast Veterans Resource Center, where she leads with compassion, dedication, and a deep commitment to those who have served. When she’s not supporting Veterans, she’s tending her beloved bees. Her small business, Pine Tree Bee, provides honey sold at the VRC — and $2 from each bottle goes right back into supporting the center. As today is Women Veterans Recognition Day, let's recognize her - and all Women Veterans- today!

Here is a quick biography our Bowdoin College 2025 Fall intern wrote about Nancy:

Finding Community Through Service: The Life of Army Veteran Nancy Hamlin
By Askar Azeez

Nancy Hamlin grew up in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, before moving to Maine at age eleven. Her path to the military was shaped less by ambition than by necessity. After her father died when she was sixteen, Hamlin found herself largely on her own. She was accepted to Unity College but was unable to afford it, so she enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1999, despite strong opposition from her family.
Hamlin served as a petroleum supply specialist and was assigned to a Multiple Launch Rocket System unit at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Before 9/11, she was the only woman in a motor pool of more than 500 soldiers, working in a space with little privacy and accommodation. After 9/11, she was reassigned to the brigade level, where she served until 2003. During her time in the Army, she earned her commercial driver’s license, hazmat certification, and was responsible for fuel and environmental inspections.
One defining moment came during basic training. Frozen at the top of a very high ladder on the confidence course, Hamlin was guided down not by the shouted orders of the instructor, but by the calm voices of two fellow trainees—a Buddhist and a Muslim. “They helped me so much,” she said. The experience reshaped how she understood leadership and trust.
The transition back to civilian life was difficult. Hamlin struggled with PTSD and spent years feeling uncertain after leaving the Army, moving between states and colleges without a clear sense of direction. It was not until she enrolled at the University of Maine that she found a community that understood her experience. There, she met with other veterans who helped her regain stability and confidence, and reminded her that she was not alone. That sense of belonging reshaped her identity and gave her a newfound sense of purpose. Since then, she has dedicated herself to veteran advocacy, working with the American Legion, the VA, and the Mid-Coast Veterans Council to name a few.
Through her advocacy work, Hamlin has focused on supporting veterans during the transition period after service. While government programs and the VA are important, it is community that ultimately sustains veterans when they return home. Having witnessed the long-term effects of trauma and isolation among those she serves, Hamlin works to meet veterans where they are—offering connection, guidance, and practical support rather than quick, temporary solutions. “You have to help people help themselves, but you can't want it more than they do” she explained, a philosophy shaped by her own experience of being supported by fellow veterans when she needed it most.
From service marked by isolation to a life defined by community, Nancy Hamlin’s story reflects quiet leadership and the value of veterans supporting one another.

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

Happy June Everyone~

Here is our first monthly newsletter showcasing all things SIAC! 🇺🇸

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has donated past and present. Our doors wouldn’t stay open without you all!

06/12/2026

Attention all Women Veterans Please join us at Post 20 for our annual Women Veterans' Lunch. No RSVP required.

06/12/2026

Scammers are mailing fake "Veterans Saving Program" postcards promising bigger payments and extra benefits. It's NOT from VA. It's a scam aiming to steal your info.
Don't respond. Spread the word. https://news.va.gov/news/benefits/