[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 22, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4468-S4469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PEASE GREETERS' 1,000TH FLIGHT

 Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, as we approach the Fourth of 
July, I want to salute the Pease Greeters for their very special brand 
of patriotism--a patriotism of deeds, not words. Since 2005, they have 
gathered at Pease International Airport in Portsmouth, NH, to give a 
warm send-off or welcome home to servicemembers in transit to or from 
conflict zones in the Middle East and elsewhere. This past Sunday, the 
Greeters reached a remarkable milestone by gathering at Pease to meet 
their 1,000th flight. The welcoming ceremony concluded with words that 
have become the group's signature greeting: ``We the old warriors 
salute you the young warriors.''
  For tens of thousands of uniformed servicemembers, many of them en 
route to or from combat zones in Iraq or Afghanistan, Pease airport is 
the last place they set foot on U.S. soil when they depart and the 
first place they set foot when they return. Prior to 2005, troops 
encountered a mostly empty and unwelcoming airport terminal. That year, 
airport officials contacted Charles Cove, a Vietnam war veteran and 
asked if he would gather a group of Granite Staters to greet a unit of 
135 servicemembers heading to combat duty in Iraq. Mr. Cove gathered 
some fellow veterans and others, and they met the Iraq-bound soldiers 
with coffee, doughnuts, and warm words of support and appreciation.
  Following that impromptu event, Mr. Cove and co-founder Edmund 
Johnson, a decorated Marine veteran of the Korean war, joined with 
fellow veterans and other Seacoast residents to form the Pease 
Greeters. Many in the group are old enough to remember that 
servicemembers returning from the Vietnam war were greeted with 
indifference or even hostility. Mr. Cove, who earned two Purple Hearts 
in Vietnam, said he made a promise to himself and his country that he 
would not allow this to happen to future servicemembers and veterans.
  Since 2005, the Pease Greeters have not missed a single flight, 
ensuring that every departing and returning servicemember is given a 
hero's greeting and warm words of appreciation. Several thousand 
volunteers, ranging in age from retired veterans to young children, 
have joined in this mission. They have transformed the airport terminal 
at Pease into a ``Heroes' Walk,'' with framed group photos of all the 
military units that have passed through the airport since 2005.

[[Page S4469]]

  Typically, 100 or more Pease Greeters will be on hand for a ceremony, 
forming a celebratory gauntlet to cheer and welcome servicemembers as 
they disembark from a troop transport plane. In addition to 
refreshments and gifts, each servicemember is given a cut-out 
embroidered star from a retired American flag. On one occasion, the 
group was informed at 10 p.m. that a Marine unit bound for Afghanistan 
would be flying out of Pease just six hours later, at 4 a.m. The 
Greeters scrambled to meet the challenge and were present with 
refreshments and a cheering crowd for the pre-dawn send-off.
  In addition to meeting flights, the Pease Greeters organize efforts 
to support veterans, Active-Duty servicemembers, and their families. 
They also send care packages to servicemembers on duty overseas. Since 
2008, the Greeters have sent more than 75,000 pounds of care package 
items to those serving in conflict zones.
  I salute the Pease Greeters for their dedication to supporting and 
thanking our brave men and women in uniform, one flight at a time. 
Across 1,000 flights, they have delivered to our servicemembers an 
important message, eloquently expressed by Mr. Cove: ``The road to 
freedom is a toll road. We thank you for paying our way.''
  We join with the Greeters in thanking the men and women of our Armed 
Forces. In addition, I want to express my deep appreciation to the 
Pease Greeters for their own generous service to our Nation.

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