Bangor and The Way We Get By
Posted by Tom Smith on November 2, 2009 | No Comments
By Jane Calderwood
Bangor International Airport (BGR) in Bangor, Maine is known for many things. The former Dow Air Force Base is home to the Maine Air National Guards’ 101st Air Refueling Wing (the MAINEiacs). It also serves as an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle. The Concord used to land there on occasion due to the more than two mile long runway, and many an airplane headed to the U.S. from Europe has landed there due to weather or mechanical problems.
The Maine Troop Greeters office at Bangor International Airport.
As the location of the eastern most airport in the country, it also has the distinction of being the first place hundreds of thousands of returning U.S. troops set foot on American soil. At the end of Operation Desert Storm, people gathered informally to welcome home the troops. Out of these informal, word of mouth gatherings grew The Maine Troop Greeters, who have been welcoming our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines home ever since. The Maine Troop Greeters estimate they have greeted more than 4,300 flights and shaken hands with 924,000 American Servicemen and women at the airport. They provide them with food, free cell phones, shaving kits, warm handshakes and hugs and heartfelt thanks for their service.
On Nov. 11 a lot more people are going to learn about BGR and this unique group of Mainers when PBS broadcasts “The Way We Get By” (9 p.m.), a documentary about the Maine Troop Greeters.
Comments
Leave a Reply