Thank you, Mr. President.
Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura were among the greeters at the Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport on August 11. It was not a photo op, as they say in political circles, it was a surprise visit to focus the attention on the troops and their families where it should be.
You didn't see it on the national nightly news or on the front pages of the daily newspapers. Here is how CNN reported it:
But waiting with the crowd at the international arrivals section were the smiling former president and first lady. "We didn't tell them at all what was going on," said the leader of the welcoming group, Lt. Col. Patrick McAfee. "It was shock and awe when they walked in the double doors."
Most of the returning service members are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A spokesman for Bush, David Sherzer, said they were "honored" to take part in the welcome. "President Bush often says that he doesn't miss much about being the President, but he does miss being the Commander in Chief of an incredible group of men and women", he said.
"It was a remarkable, incredible feeling for them, seeing the former commander in chief taking time to greet them," McAfee said.
As the combat mission ends in Iraq and troops are coming home, it is important to welcome them and thank them for their sacrifices. That has been the American tradition and the American way.
During the Gulf War, as a Washington Army National Guard officer, I spent some time on active duty in late 1991 and early 1992. Part of my responsibility was to help the Guardsmen (and women) prepare for combat deployment. The most difficult was going to the private going away meeting with the families and then watching them board aircraft at McChord AFB and fly away to a war zone.
I'll always remember former Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro and Gov. Mike Lowry being there on the flight line at McChord to wish them well. Then they were there when they returned happily home. One of the most memorable days of my life was seeing those same Guardsmen (and women) coming down the airplane ramp and being hugged by their wives, husbands, children, parents and friends. Having Lowry and Munro there was very important for them just as it was last week having President Bush at the Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport without media fanfare.
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
