Subjects From The Way We Get By Make History By Greeting Over One Million Troops

They’ve become famous among the soldiers who have passed through the airport in Bangor, Maine, on their way to and from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among their neighbors, they’ve become a source of pride. To a nation wrestling with the politics behind the wars, they’re an inspiration. They are the “Troop Greeters” of Bangor, an intrepid group of retired and elderly citizens who have taken it upon themselves to greet every troop plane arriving or departing Bangor, which is the last and first piece of U.S. soil many GIs will see before and after their deployments.

On Sunday, March 21, 2010 around midnight, the Maine Troop Greeters made history by greeting over one million troops at the Bangor International Airport. Joan Gaudet, one of the greeters and a subject in the ITVS funded, award-winning film, The Way We Get By, agreed to write about this extraordinary achievement.

Jerry Mundy (left) and Joan Gaudet (center) saying farewell to the millionth soldier. Photo: Shane Leonard

I am proud to be a Maine Troop Greeter. It makes me feel like I’m doing my little part through all of this. It’s a good feeling when you go to greet the troops and feel like you made their day a little brighter. They call us heroes sometimes but we know we aren’t heroes, they are. Some of these guys have gone through three, four, five, six times. And when they say we remember you, I think it means we must have done something right.

It was hard to believe that a million troops have gone through our airport already. To me, I knew it was a lot but it didn’t seem like it should have been a million. A lot of people say what an incredible accomplishment—how long we’ve been doing it—it will be over 7 years now. But to me, in all honesty, it’s kind of sad. I am happy that we’ve been able to greet that many but sad in another way, because it means we’re sending a lot of them to war to maybe never come back. So it’s kind of a happy and sad thing. It’s fun to greet them seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter but at the same time, when I see how many troops keep coming through, I can’t help but wonder how many we greeted actually came back.

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Tags: Afghanistan, Iraq, Maine, US military

Returning Home: Interactive Website to Honor American Soldiers

“It’s really a personal story not a political one. That goes for the greeters themselves as well. They have different views on the war, but their
main goal is to support the troops.”
— Aron Gaudet, director, THE WAY WE GET BY

On call for the past six years, a group of senior citizens have made history by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine. THE WAY WE GET BY, an ITVS-funded documentary that aired last night on P.O.V., tells their uplifting and emotional journey and demonstrates the meaning of community at a time when America needs it most.

Inspired by the film, Returning Home is a new interactive website that seeks to ensure that American soldiers, both newly returned and those whose service ended many years ago, are not forgotten. Returning Home provides a place to share thoughts, photos, video or audio and to find support. Like the Maine troop greeters featured in the film, the site will honor American soldiers as they return from duty, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Visit Returning Home and learn more >>

Missed last night’s broadcast? The program is now available online in its entirety until December 12 on PBS’s video portal. Watch now >>

Learn more about the online project in this video interview with filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly and others involved in the project.

Tags: film resources, Maine, Military, P.O.V., senior citizens, soldiers, troop greeters

THE WAY WE GET BY Premiering Tonight on P.O.V.

“If you watch/record one thing this evening, I strongly recommend THE WAY WE GET BY, Aron Gaudet’s moving documentary…”
- USA Today

On call 24/7 for the past six years, three senior citizens have made history by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine. Filled with unexpected turns, THE WAY WE GET BY tells their uplifting and emotional journey and demonstrates the meaning of community at a time when America needs it most.

THE WAY WE GET BY premieres tonight at 9:00 PM on P.O.V. on PBS (check local listings).
A co-production of ITVS in association with WGBH and Maine Public Broadcasting Network

Get the latest updates about the film and talk with others by using #wegetby on Twitter. Follow the film >>

The program will also stream online in its entirety starting tomorrow to December 12 on PBS’s video portal. Learn more >>

Tags: Maine, Military, P.O.V., senior citizens, soldiers, troop greeters

Filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly at SXSW

PBS Engage hosted a “Social Media & Online Video Studio” at the recent South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive & Film conference in Austin, Texas.

Filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly discussed their film THE WAY WE GET BY, which was recently funded by ITVS through the LINCS funding initiative and will air this year on P.O.V. on PBS.

Since March 2003, almost 700,000 soldiers and marines from across the country have been greeted at the Bangor International Airport. THE WAY WE GET BY follows a group of senior citizens who are making history by using handshakes and hugs to play a critical role in the Iraq war.

Check out the video and learn more about their film:

Visit the P.O.V. Web site to find out more information >>

Tags: Iraq, Maine, SXSW