Bill Clinton welcomes returning troops at Banor, Maine airport

BANGOR, MAINE The Bangor DAILY NEWS

— Returning to U.S. soil after a second tour of duty in Iraq, U.S. Army Spc. Joshua Ruschenberg used a cell phone provided by troop greeters at Bangor International Airport on Monday night to call his mother in Texas.

With former President Bill Clinton among the greeters, Ruschenberg placed a second quick call to his sister-in-law Shancy Garrison in North Carolina, then handed over the phone to the former commander in chief.

"Hi, Shancy, it’s Bill Clinton," the former president said into the small phone.
The 42nd president was returning to the U.S. from Paris where he had met with French President Jacques Chirac to discuss plans for the Clinton Foundation, the former U.S. chief executive’s charitable organization. Clinton’s plane had stopped at BIA around 7 p.m. to refuel. His plans for a quick departure went out the window with the arrival of two flights of soldiers returning from Iraq.

Upon learning of the arriving troops, Clinton delayed his departure and joined the line of staunch local troop greeters who meet each plane carrying service men and women either returning from overseas or leaving for duty.

"Thank you for your service," Clinton said as he shook hands and hugged many of the approximately 600 soldiers as they passed by.

Many of the returning soldiers were visibly startled to see Clinton in the line of more than a dozen greeters. The soldiers were from the 3rd Infantry Battalion and the 313th Field Artillery Unit and were returning to bases in Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia.

"This is great," said Staff Sgt. Anthony Thompson of New York City, who stood next to Clinton, a "neighbor" who now lives and works near him.

Some shook hands with the former president, who also autographed hats, cards, paper, whatever the service men and women could find.

Just before the troops arrived, Brook Palcholski, 13, a troop greeter from Hermon, had the president sign her shirt after boldly telling him that she wanted to become a cartoonist.

"I was good fodder for them [cartoonists]," Clinton told her. "There were some for me and some against me."

Brook later said she vaguely remembered Clinton’s presidency when she was little. But most recently, she said, she saw him in animated form on the cartoon "The Family Guy."

With the troops greeted, Clinton got back on a plane at 10 p.m. for the trip home.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY comments:

Bill Clinton is a very human former president, a good and decent man with a big heart. This story shows what a very kind man he is.

A lot of conservatives love to hate Bill Clinton but I am not one of them --
this story confirms to me how very thoughtful and compassionate a person he really is.