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Maine Troop Greeters Subject Of New Documentary
A new documentary puts the spotlight on some devoted and determined volunteers in Maine.
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BANGOR, Maine (November 10, 2009)--A volunteer group whose members have greeted each and every troop flight at Maine's Bangor International Airport since 2003 is about to get some major exposure.
The group is the subject of a documentary titled "The Way We Get By," which focuses on three of the troop greeters.
It will be shown to a national audience for the first time on Veterans Day on PBS.
Filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly were inspired by the greeters, most of them seniors, who welcome troops during refueling stops in Bangor.
They intended to work on the project for a year, but as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on, so did their filming, which continued for more than three years.
By focusing on three elderly greeters, Gaudet says the film ended up being a story about aging in America.
Volunteers perform a similar service at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, welcoming returning soldiers home.
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I'm glad to know these fine people are being given the lasting credit they deserve. When I came home from Iraq in April 2004, I remember the thrill of seeing their loving faces and their deep concern that America's returning military knew they were appreciated. I was 57 years old at the time and I cried from the emotion of the moment. A heart wrenching contrast from when I returned home from Vietnam in 1970. I may not remember the names or faces of the Troop Greeters, but I will never forget how proud they made me feel when again touching home soil after time in combat.
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