ATLANTA, Ga.--Most soldiers stepping off the plane at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta have spent more than a year away from home—and more than 24 hours on the plane. Five-hundred troops come through the airport on a typical day—around 1,000 on holidays
For more than two years, members of Marietta’s Mt. Bethel UMC have worked with the U.S.O. to greet soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some volunteers, like Bob Babcock, are veterans themselves. “Unlike previous wars––particularly Korea and Vietnam where the soldiers weren’t welcomed back––we make sure they’re welcomed back. And they all appreciate it,” says Babcock. The church provides refreshments for the returning and departing troops.