Saturday, Oct., 30, 2010

PORTSMOUTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT PEASE, NH ^__ It was just another typical day at the airport for the Pease Greeters or was it?  Saturday, October 23, 2010 started off with an early morning flight at 12:30 AM welcoming home the 397^th flight.  After the greet, Greeters went home to catch up on some much needed rest as two flights were coming up later, one that afternoon and another in the early evening.  The afternoon flight arrived at 4:23 PM and departed about an hour later.  Some of the Greeters stayed at the airport, others went for a quick bite to eat as the third and final flight was coming in earlier than expected at 6:45 PM.

About 6 PM the Greeters started forming the reception line for the third and final flight of the day.  Miami Air International’s plane landed at about 7:10 PM.  The donuts were laid out, the coffee brewed and the music was getting the crowd up as the plane taxied to the jetway.  But wait, something was up.  The troops weren’t getting off the plane.  Airport manager Bill Hopper delivered the news we were all waiting for, why?

It seems that the mystery passengers, about 40 in all, were dressed in casual civilian wear and an unknown general onboard wasn’t allowing them to get off the plane.  Pease Greeter Co-Chairman George Davidson dismissed the Greeters telling them that there would be no greet this evening and they were free to go home.  Sadly many of the Greeters made their way to the exits and into the parking lot before word began to spread throughout the airport that, in cooperation with airport authorities, the passenger’s security detail evaluated the threat, found none and allowed the passengers to disembark the aircraft.  The mystery passengers were in deed getting off the plane.

When news reached the remaining Greeters that there would be a greet after all, they hastily reassembled the reception line just as the passengers, mostly men in their 50s, began making their way down Heroes Walk toward the hospitality suite where they would find coffee, donuts and other refreshments.  So who were these men and what was the secret they were trying to keep?

Greeters soon began welcoming them and by ways of introduction they would learn that these men were some of the most important in their respective country’s air force.  The Pease Greeters found themselves shaking hands with the Air Force General Chief’s of Staff of 16 of our NATO allied European members in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan.  The generals from, Estonia, Albania, Belgium, Croatia, Lithuania, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Poland, Turkey, Latvia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Bolivia were fresh from their return from Las Vegas, Nevada and on their way home to Europe.  They were accompanied by staff aids, several of which were women, and a high-level security detail.

Accompanying the generals was US Air Force Gen. Roger A. Brady , Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Commander, Air Component Command, Ramstein; and Director, Joint Air Power Competency Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.  Gen. Brady spoke to the Pease Greeters at the parting ceremony and thanked them for their warm welcome and support to our troops.  General Brady went on to say that there are 46 coalition nations in the fight, 39 are European.  40,000 soldiers from these NATO allied nations means that these soldiers relieve 40,000 US boots on the ground, a major contribution to the war effort.

When Gen. Brady introduced the generals they were given a rousing applause from the Pease Greeters just as though they were our very own American forces.  They were afforded no less courtesy being given stars from a US flag, pins, Lindt chocolate and more.

So, this typical day of greeting for the Pease Greeters turned out to be anything but typical but rather it became a day in which we got to show our NATO allies the support that we offer them and our own US forces in the war on terror.

      Video By Patty Evans At Smilebox