Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joins former US Sen. Elizabeth Dole to help veterans' caregivers

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joined former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole on Tuesday to announce that Maryland will work with her foundation to support military and veteran caregivers.

Moore, who served as a paratrooper and captain in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, said joining the Elizabeth Dole Foundation Hidden Heroes campaign will help raise awareness about resources available for families of veterans and to expedite those resources to them.

"We want our Hidden Heroes to know that Maryland sees you," Moore, a Democrat, said. "We are committed to providing the resources you need to deliver the care our service members and veterans deserve."

Dole, who served as a Republican North Carolina senator from 2003 to 2009, established the foundation in 2012 to help the spouses, parents, family members, and friends who care for the nation's wounded, ill, or injured veterans. She was the wife of Kansas U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, a longtime leader in Congress and World War II veteran who died in 2021.

She joined Moore at a news conference to hold a proclamation announcing Maryland's participation in her foundation's Hidden Heroes campaign.

Steve Schwab, the CEO of the campaign, said Hidden Heroes works with community leaders around the nation to address challenges that people who help veterans face. He thanked Moore for efforts he has taken during his governorship to help veterans and their families, and he said he hoped the step taken by Maryland will become a model that other governors will follow.

"It takes a coalition approach to do this work," Schwab said.

First lady Dawn Moore said initiatives to help veterans and their families was personal to her, having been a military spouse.

"It is our responsibility as a state to support the whole family and that's why Maryland is leaning in," she said.

The Hidden Heroes campaign was launched in 2016 by Dole and chaired by actor Tom Hanks. It seeks solutions for the challenges and long-term needs caregivers face, and connects them to one another.

The campaign works with individuals, businesses, communities, and civic, faith and government leaders. It represents a network of more than 200 communities nationwide committed to increasing awareness and support.

By joining the campaign, Maryland aims to provide support for more than 150,000 military and veteran caregivers across the state, the governor's office said.