The Way We Get By…

photo from PBS.org

I heard a fitting piece for Veteran’s Day on WPR this afternoon.

It’s a documentary film on ‘troop greeters in Bangor, Maine.’

"On call 24 hours a day for the past five years, a group of senior citizens (many of them veterans) has made history by greeting over 900,000 American troops at a tiny airport in Bangor, Maine."

"These citizens have taken it upon themselves to greet every troop plane arriving or departing Bangor, which is the last and first piece of U.S. soil many GIs will see before and after their deployments."

"The film is an intimate look at three of these greeters as they confront the universal losses that come with aging and rediscover their reason for living."

I heard the filmmaker and his mother (one of the inspirations for the film) interviewed on Talk of the Nation.

I was deeply moved by their interview and the story of these troop greeters.

I have yet to see the film, as we were at the dinner banquet, but it’s been recorded and is waiting to be watched.

You can find more info about the film here and here.