Pease Greeters: Take One

Last night I went to Pease Airport to start and experience first hand my project on Pease Greeters. It was both sucessful and uncessful. Lets start with the bad: The tape recorder ran out of battery, of course I didn't come prepared to replace the battery, and little did I know my digital camera has little memory capacity while recording video. The experience in itself was so overwhelming. I went there nervous that there wasn't really going to be a story, that it wasn't going to be as great as I thought. I was wrong. There were so many stories, so many sounds to record, so many images and moments to capture. I was so flustered because not only did I not know where to begin, but the tools I had to capture these things were not working. I then decided to just sit back and experience it as if I were there to be there and not for a project. I have to say it was an amazing experience...and here is where I became sucessful. As much as I hate to say this, I must confess that I was extremely ignorant about the war. It hasn't effected me, I don't know anyone fighting, I don't even know anyone that knows someone fighting, it just hasn't impacted me on any sort of level. I can't really describe in words what the feeling and emotion is like being at the Pease Airport when the soliders return home. And I think this is why this subject will work so well as a multimedia project. There were at least 300 people there, from veterans to boyscouts, the crowd was incredible. I realized just how personal this whole thing becomes. THe people that I did talk to (of course I wasn't able to record everything) didn't know anyone, but for those brief moments those people were there daughters, sons, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, friends, etc. They have a ceremony after and only one soldier had parents that were there. Some people travled over an hour and this was there 30th flight they had come to for complete strangers. No matter what time a flight comes in, even if it arrives or leaves at 4 am, these greeters are there. At least 100 people are there at every flight, sending off or welcoming home complete strangers. I found out some great information, like Joe Bidens son had come through Pease and mentioned it specifically on Good Morning AMerica with out even being asked about it. The emotion of the returning soldiers was complete shock. I saw one utter "jesus christ" like he couldn't believe how many people were there. People are shouting "welcome home" and "thank yous" left and right, people are offering free phone calls, coffee donuts, gifts, everything. I am going to have an interview with Capt Ed Johnson the founder of the Pease Greeters who is 80 years old! One woman that I talked with said that he has incredible stories and is an amazing man, so I am excited to see what I can get from him. I am going back this week, I think I may try to go for a flight to send the soldiers off instead of welcoming them home, which Sheila one of the volunteers said its pretty emotional...I think I could capture great pictures there. Of course, I will be more prepared this time. I think I have finally become passionate about my project, in a way I am glad all of the devices failed so I was able to sit back and experience it. I'm not gunna lie I got pretty emotional, I hope I can capture the feeling it brings.