and it wasn't long before the gunnings were joined by a fellow named bert truman from hollowell, maine who spent two decades in the military, in the navy and army reserve and the air national guard. the three of them worked together on each cane they made, crafting them, painting them, personalizing each one by etching the veteran's name and molding metals to show their branch of the service and any honors they received. as impressive as each of these masterpieces are the number that these three people have produced is what's really astounding and remarkable. the current count is 2,474 of these personally hand made canes made free of charge and funded from maine veterans entirely through donations. for all their hard work and dedication, the trio remain adamant that they deserve no special recognition although i'm giving it to them here today. instead, they would rather that the attention and admiration and thanks of all of our people be directed toward the veterans who are receiving these canes. who have borne so much for our country. and that is the true magic of this project. it's a