Salute to Veterans luncheon

: John Reid pets Derek Laliberte’s service dog, Bella, during the Auburn Exchange Club’s fifth annual Salute to Veterans luncheon at the Green Ladle in Lewiston on Wednesday. Laliberte, a U.S. Army veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, spent time “all over Central America” before being stabbed with a knife by a civilian outside his Army base in North Carolina. Laliberte of Auburn suffers from PTSD and Bella helps him cope with the disorder. “She keeps me grounded,” Laliberte said. Reid, the husband of Army veteran Shannan Reid, heads the committee that puts on the luncheon each year around Veterans Day. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Robert G. Carmichael Jr. of Bucksport was the featured speaker. He spoke about how more than 70 percent of people between the ages of 17 and 24 cannot pass the entrance exam into the military because of three elements — physical standards, criminal records and academics. “It’s a problem that we need to pay attention to,” Carmichael said. “It could affect our national security down the road.”