By Colleen Marshall

Staff Writer

    A Sanford native and Iraq war veteran announced his
plans to form an exploratory committee for Maine’s First Congressional
District seat, a position currently held by Tom Allen.

    Adam Cote, a 33-year-old Democrat, who now resides
in Portland, announced Thursday his intention to put his name in the
race – if Allen runs for Senate, as expected, in 2008. Cote was raised
in Sanford, graduating from Sanford High School, before heading to
Colby College and the University of Maine School of Law.

    “You can’t underestimate real world experience,”
Cote said from a Pierce Atwood law firm office, where his practice
focuses on real estate and energy law, as global warming and the
environment are two of his top concerns. “Looking at members of
Congress now, there are things they know about being a politician that
I can learn and get up to speed on. But there are things I know that
they are never going to know. I think that’s important. I’m really
excited about this. I’m passionate – and I think that passion can get
you pretty far in life.”

    Cote’s experience spans the globe. He served with
Maine’s 133rd Engineer Battalion in Iraq from March 2004 through March
2005, leading more than 100 convoys and also serving as founder to the
“Adopt an Iraqi Village” program, which provided clothes, school
supplies and gifts to Iraqi children.

    “I’ve lived through this stuff,” Cote said. “I think
I will be able to provide a perspective that is often missing in
politics these days. I’m not a political animal. I’m driven by our
situation today – I’m concerned about our future. I’m just sick of the
talking heads that have a seat at the table.”

    Cote said he is “appalled” by the situation in Iraq
and questioned why only one out of 535 members of Congress today has
served there. He hopes to change that.

“I think the war is a mistake, but even worse is the way that it’s been executed,” he said. “I think that’s even more terrible.”

Cote said the best way to move ahead is by getting American troops away
from policing what is a civil war – and partitioning the country. Cote
compared the situation to that of Bosnia, where he served in 1997 and
1998. He said he later had the opportunity to return to Bosnia and see
first-hand that people had “put aside their differences to work for a
better future. The partition of Bosnia was precisely what led to that
successful turnaround.”

    “You expect to see gun-waving lunatics everywhere.
But what you find in both places is that the vast majority of people
are hardworking, caring people who simply want peace. We need to set up
a system for them to succeed – then get out.”

    As a member of the Maine Army National Guard in
Iraq, Cote was in the mess tent in Mosul when a suicide bomber blew
himself up, killing two and wounding nearly 100 soldiers. This war is
different than those in the past, Cote said, due to upgraded body armor
and protective gear. Situations that would have left soldiers dead now
leaves them critically injured – suffering from head injuries or
leaving them with amputated limbs.

    The conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in
Washington, D.C. that have garnered national media attention of late
are “terrible, appalling and ridiculous,” Cote said.

    “The Department of Defense needs to step up and give them the services they deserve,” he said.

    Cote said he received VA services upon his arrival
home for injuries he suffered to his shoulder while in Iraq. He said
the problems unveiled at Walter Reed Medical Center, considered to be
one of the best military hospitals in the country, are not unique.
Understaffed and poor hospital conditions also have trickled down to
local agencies throughout the country as well.

    Locally Cote served as a Town Meeting member in
Sanford, but he has little other experience in the political arena.
However, he said he is proud of his work as president of the Maine
Young Democrats and as a member of the National Advisory Council for
the Small Business Administration and said he also serves on the
Greater Portland Board of Advisors for the Salvation Army and the Maine
Real Estate Developers Association Legislative Committee.

    Cote said he comes from a working class family – his
grandfather worked at the Portsmouth Shipyard as a welder and his
grandmother worked at Nasson College washing dishes. His father was a
teacher and coach at Sanford High School.

    For more information, visit www.adamcote.com