A friend whose son has just returned home from the war zone after serving a one year tour with the U.S. Army wrote me about his arrival. He first stepped onto American soil in Bangor, Maine, before he was to journey south to Florida.

He telephoned his parents from there on a borrowed cell phone, courtesy of a wonderful group of volunteers at the Bangor, Maine airport. Known as “greeters”, they are always there to bid goodbye or to welcome the soldiers passing through the airport. The Maine greeters make life a bit more comfortable for our soldiers going to or returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as they await their flights. They supply the military men and women with cookies and snacks, newspapers and books, phone cards and they even loan their own cell phones so that the soldiers can phone their loved ones at home. They make snapshots of the young troops going through the airport and then post these pictures on their web site for the families to see. The greeters are dedicated people and they do their best to care for our military personnel. Their website is www.mainetroopgreeters.com.