Greeters

I wrote about my last flight as an airline pilot in a post called “Last Flight,” published in September 2007. What I didn’t mention there was that as I exited the aircraft, going through the terminal, I was greeted by locals who meet every military flight coming and going through Bangor International Airport, thanking the troops for what they have done and what they will do. It’s a program that started during Desert Storm and has continued every day and night of the year since—Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, doesn’t matter.

I was reading The Wall Street Journal this morning, as I do almost every morning, and I came across a review of a show to be shown on PBS on Veterans’ Day, November 11, at 900pm, Eastern Time. It is part of a series called P.O.V. and the specific show is called “The Way We Get By.” The show is about the greeters, what they do and why they do it. It sounds great. It’s about time these people were better known, and I hope it inspires others. PBS gets a rap for being the “nuanced crowd’s” network of choice, but this sounds like the right thing to do on Veterans’ Day.

This photo was taken as I was leaving the aircraft, looking back. It is being fueled and catered for the leg outbound to Shannon. The greeters are just behind me. The troops had already deplaned to stretch their legs, and, if they were smart, have one of the Bangor Airport snack bar's famous lobster rolls. It would have to last them for a year, when they came back through Bangor, and were thanked again.