U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine was named legislator of the year Tuesday by the Wounded Warrior Project, a national nonprofit that advocates for service members.

During a news conference from his office in Washington, D.C., King said he was overwhelmed by the recognition, which is given annually to one member of Congress.

“This may be the greatest honor of my public life,” he said.

Jose Ramos, vice president of government and community relations for the Wounded Warrior Project, appeared with King on Tuesday and said the senator was “an easy choice.”

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks to reporters in Augusta in May. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press

“This year we selected Angus King because he truly is a representation of what we in this organization believe it means to give back and to keep the promise of those we serve,” he said.

Ramos said a lot of elected officials are bipartisan and say the right things when it comes to veterans’ issues, but King is one of the few who take the time to learn and sit down with groups and individuals. Ramos also said King’s office is one of the easiest to work with and “a reflection of who Sen. King is.”

The Wounded Warrior Project was founded in 2003 and is now the largest post-9/11 veterans service organization, serving 250,000 veterans and family members. In recent years, the project has selected legislators of the year to be recognized. Past winners include Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, and Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas.

King, who is in his second U.S. Senate term and is seeking reelection in November, serves on both the Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs committees.

“We don’t really think about it, but our veterans, when they sign up to join the military, are putting their life on the line for us,” he said. “They’re willingly putting their life on the line for the rest of us and for this country, so they deserve the best of treatment.”

Since 2022, King has worked with the Library of Congress on an oral history program for veterans. He’s interviewed a dozen or more Maine veterans from different eras.

In the Senate, King was one of the leading advocates of the PACT Act that passed in 2022 to ensure resources and health care to veterans who have been exposed to hazardous materials in the line of duty.

He also worked to include in the recent National Defense Authorization Act language that requires the Department of Defense to submit detailed annual reports on suicides of service members.

One area King mentioned where he would like to see more investment is long-term care for veterans. Maine has a big percentage of veterans per capita, and many are aging.

King’s biggest challenger, Demi Kouzounas, a Saco dentist and former chair of the Maine Republican Party, is a U.S. Army veteran. Democrat David Costello is also in the race.