[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8007]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     PEASE GREETERS' 1000TH FLIGHT

 Ms. AYOTTE. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and 
congratulate the Pease Greeters' nonprofit organization for more than 
11 years of continuous service in greeting our troops and civilian 
personnel from the Department of Defense, DOD, passing through the 
Pease International Trade Port in Portsmouth, NH. In June of 2016, they 
will have welcomed more than 1,000 flights passing through the trade 
port on their way to or from Afghanistan, Iraq, or other areas of 
conflict in the world.
  The Pease Greeters organization was created in May of 2005 when an 
unannounced plane carrying members of the U.S. military landed at the 
Pease International Airport. The airport director, maintenance manager, 
and airport employees quickly got together to meet and greet these 
troops, offering coffee, donuts, and a big thank you for their service. 
Soon thereafter, the airport director discovered that additional 
charter flights would be arriving at Pease. Upon learning this, he 
reached out to the Seacoast Marine Corps League for assistance 
welcoming the troops and putting together a fitting ceremony to show 
respect, appreciation, and honor for their service.
  Once word spread, dozens of citizens from New Hampshire, Maine, and 
Massachusetts, lent their support to organize what quickly became known 
as the Pease Greeters, whose mission is to promote broad participation 
in this welcoming of heroes, paying special attention to the education 
of school children by instilling respect and admiration for the troops 
through formal ceremonies for each flight. Whether it is 4 in the 
morning or 4 in the afternoon, the Pease Greeters are there to welcome 
and thank the members of the military and the civilian men and women 
working in the DOD coming through Pease. As of May 2016, the Pease 
Greeters have met more than 190,000 servicemen and servicewomen at the 
trade port, provided a bank of phones where they can call loved ones 
anywhere in the world free of charge, offered them more than 27,000 
pizzas, 167,000 sandwiches, 110,000 bottles of water or soda, and 
74,000 knitted hats.
  As the Pease Greeters welcomes its 1,000th flight on June 26, 2016, I 
commend the board of directors, the many volunteers, the supporting 
businesses, the Pease International Airport director and staff, and the 
hundreds of well-wishers who have spent more than 11 years thanking and 
honoring our troops and DOD members for their service and selfless 
sacrifice to our Nation. As the Pease Greeters' mission continues, I 
have no doubt they will continue to provide comfort and welcome many 
future military members arriving or departing from the Pease 
International Trade Port.

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