Posted on 02/16/2007 9:46:16 AM PST by Kaslin
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(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
bump
Thanks for the bump
DAMN, the screen got all blurry. I don't understand it.
Thanks for posting.
I was almost crying myself watching that Lieutenant or Captain describing the welcome he was given !
GOOD NEWS BUMP
Person of the Week: Bert Brady
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=2845247
Veteran Makes Soldier Homecomings a Daily Ritual
Feb. 2, 2007 - Just about every morning for the past year, Bert Brady has been getting up, having a cup of coffee and heading over to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. But this ritual has nothing to do with travel. He's at the terminal to welcome home American troops as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I went 300 days last year," Brady said. "They are glad to see us, and we are tickled to death to see them because they are our heroes."
Brady, a 69-year-old veteran, is a member of the Welcome Home a Hero program at his local airport. He makes sure every soldier that comes through Dallas gets a special homecoming.
And he has reached out to almost anyone who will join him.
"We have people who only come on weekends. We have people who come during the week," Brady said. "We have a lot of support from the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts."
Veterans Stick Together
Brady shows up each day with the goal of making soldiers feel appreciated and proud of their service. He's often joined by veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars who did not get a warm reception when they returned from battle.
"We are not going to forget them like a lot of Vietnam soldiers have been forgotten," Brady said. "We are not going to forget the soldiers of today."
One Korean War vet working with Brady added, "We owe it to them. They're doing a good job for us. When I came home in 1954, there was nobody, no nothing."
And for Brady, it's simply "rewarding" to greet the soldiers.
"You can't make 200 people happy and not feel that. Ninety-five percent of them are smiling, and you never can tell if one of their buddies has just died in their arms yesterday," he said. "So you get all kinds of emotion coming through."
And the soldiers appreciate the efforts. "It's great.
They took the time out of their day to be here," one soldier said.
"It's incredible to see the support," said one soldier's wife, who was in tears. "Everybody cheering him on
it's a little embarrassing, but we appreciate it."
When asked why he is so dedicated to this effort, Brady pointed to a moment he shared with one soldier.
"He said, 'Mister, I will never forget you,' and my heart was almost pounding like it was going to burst out of my chest," Brady said. "He said, 'It's the greatest thing that ever happened to me.'"
I don't have any ping list, sorry
Anyone with ping lists, please get this out to all possible. It's a wonderful example of Americans supporting for our troops. Too wonderful to keep quiet.
Thanks!
From any and all FReepers who can't make it to a homecoming like this, to those Patriot soldiers serving at all points overseas:
We really, really appreciate you!
"...It's time we recognized the nature of the conflict. It's total war and we are all involved. Nobody on our side is exempted because of age, gender, or handicap. The Islamofacists have stolen childhood from the world." [FReeper Retief]
"...That the totalitarian force pitted against freedom wears a religious makes this civil war among mankind all the more difficult to engage. Loving freedom as we do, it seems reprehensible to deliberate against a religion. But this is no ordinary religion as it demands absolute obedience of all to their religion at the cost of freedom itself." [FReeper Backtothestreets]
Warning: Your screen will get a bit "blurry"...
Dutchy: THANK YOU for the heads up on this one.
Bert is a great guy...met him when he first started coming out to DFW greeting the troops. I am proud to be part of the folks who greet these great kids when they arrive for their R&R when time allows. There are hundreds here in North Texas like me. The north Texas community does itself proud with their commitment to this program.
I take my Grand kids out there and they give the kids autograph books. Now if you want to see something PRICELESS...see the expression on these young heroes faces when they are asked for their autograph!
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