Maine Troop Greeters:Unsung Heroes

When you enter the state of Maine, a large sign will greet you. The sign says "Welcome to Maine, the Way Life Should Be". I've had a problem with the sign, since I think life should be the way Maine once was, but that's beside the point. When I drive by the sign now it has new meaning.

On Fox News this morning, a segment was dedicated to promoting a documentary called "The Way We Get By" which airs on PBS on Veterans Day. It stars three unlikely heroes. Bill Knight (86) is a WWII vet fulfilling a promise he made to himself. Joan Gaudet (75) is a mother and grandmother who greets troops but cannot say goodbye, and Jerry Mundy (73) whose goal is to put a smile on a soldiers face. Each has serious problems of their own, but each has chosen to set aside their own needs to share compassion and honor with our soldiers.

The simple actions of these three senior citizens spawned the Maine Troop Greeters, and other organizations taking their lead. The following is the mission statement and an excerpt from the home page of the Maine Troop Greeters Official Website:

The Mission Statement:

"The mission of the Maine Troop Greeters is to express the nation's (and our) gratitude and appreciation to the troops, for those going overseas for a safe return and for those returning for a joyful homecoming and to make their (hopefully brief) stay in Bangor as comfortable and pleasant as possible."

Home Page

"Day or night, rain or shine, it is our commitment to welcome each troop home from war and give a proper send off to each of the young men and women heading overseas. We accomplish this by being here to offer free cell phones to call a loved one, a snack to keep them going, and handshakes to let them know we care.

Since we began greeting flights in May of 2003, the Maine Troop Greeters have greeted over 4300 flights with more than 924,000 service members and 196 military dogs. And it is our pledge that as long as there are U.S. armed forces serving overseas we will be here to greet them."

I knew there were greeters at a couple of airport terminals here in Maine, but until recently I was not aware of the story behind its inception. It is heart wrenching. It needs to be told, and this documentary does just that. Please watch!

SOURCE: themainetroopgreeters.com

thewaywegetbymovie.com

FOX News