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32 Year Navy Man, WWII Vet & Troop Greeter Dies Christmas Day

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I am really sorry to hear this. When my son, a sergeant in the Marine Corps, was returning to California from Iraq I asked Bill if he could find out if they were traveling via Bangor. He did some research and told me it was likely but he'd only know a couple of hours before they arrived in Bangor. He called late one night and told us to be at the airport the following morning. We managed to surprise Sgt. Jim and spent a couple of hours together having a tailgate party in the parking lot before the next leg of the trip.

The airport gave the greeters space in a vacant storefront inside the building. They do a great job; one service they provide to give each returnee a cell phone to use while they're there. Bill was the prime mover of the group - we spent about an hour together waiting for the flight to arrive and I was hugely impressed by the dedication of all the folks there.

A documentary called "The Way We Get By" details the groups work. Also, they are mentioned in the airports website at https://www.flybangor.com/troop-greeters .

Vary sad to hear he's gone.
 
That's really sad to hear - I watched a show about their group
a little while back.They made sure that EVERY plane arriving or leaving was
honored.Some of them spend their own money on snacks to give the troops,
without expecting compensation.
I hope that there's another person that can fill the void.

- Doug
 
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