I've heard of those wonderful people, lysie. They were unable to be there when Ev left in '05; it was 11:00 p.m. (I know the article says "no matter what time of day or night", but understandably it's hard to have someone there during the late, late hours).
But on his return trip, there was a similar group at the airport in Georgia. The soldiers were greeted with a standing ovation and each was presented with a cute little "Beanie Baby" teddy bear in camo.