LEWISTON — Maj. Gen. Bill Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, and Maine’s first lady, Ann Lepage, will speak on “Maine’s Military Families: Their Needs and Resources” at the Great Falls Forum on Thursday.

The program is at noon in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library.

Libby, a Lewiston native, has stood at the helm of Maine’s Army National Guard forces since his promotion to adjutant general in January 2004. During that same period, Maine’s National Guard units have been called to serve in historically unprecedented numbers through Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and now Operation New Dawn.

While 2,000 Maine men and women have answered this call to service, the unique stresses and impacts of this service are felt by many more Mainers: the wives, husbands, children and parents of these soldiers.

Through Libby’s 45 years of military service, he has lived with and observed these family needs firsthand and during his current tenure he has instituted many programs to provide families with resources and support.

With the inauguration of Gov. LePage in January, Libby received a welcome ally: Ann LePage.

She announced last winter that a major initiative of her office would be to raise awareness of the sacrifices being made by National Guard families in the state. Since that time, she has been active statewide in highlighting needs and supporting efforts to meet those needs.

At Thursday’s Forum, Libby and LePage will talk about families and the needs they face before, during and after active-duty deployments. They will also be providing an overview of the exemplary work of the Maine National Guard in addressing those needs despite the lack of a major military installation in our state.

Admission is free to all Forum events and no reservations are required. Attendees are invited to bring bag lunches, or to take advantage of the Forum’s partnership with Guthries cafe and request one of the eatery’s custom-made, gourmet sandwiches or salads to be delivered to the library in advance of the talk. Orders may be placed by calling Guthries at 376-3344. The menu is available at www.guthriesplace.com. Bottled water will be available at the library.

The Great Falls Forum is jointly co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library and the Sun Journal. The library is at 200 Lisbon St. at the corner of Pine Street.

More information on Thursday’s lecture or other upcoming events in the Great Falls Forum series is available by contacting the library at 513-3135 or www.LPLonline.org.