Volunteers honored for greeting 300,000 troops in five years; Call goes out for more volunteer greeters
DFW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Texas , June 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DFW International Airport today honored the community of volunteer greeters involved in its renowned "Welcome Home A Hero" program for completing five years of service to incoming soldiers, and sounded a call for more North Texans to welcome home the troops.
Since 2004, the "Welcome Home A Hero" program's volunteers have greeted about 300,000 inbound soldiers to DFW as they make their way home for two weeks of rest and recuperation (R&R) from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan . Hundreds of organizations and more than 10,000 volunteers have greeted over 1700 flights during the life of the program.
"The Welcome Home A Hero program is all about the amazing people who have made it their personal mission to make sure every soldier passing through DFW gets thanked properly," said Jeff Fegan , CEO of DFW. "These volunteers, along with our Airport staff and Ambassadors, have really made an incredible impact in our community and on the morale of the soldiers who have experienced their kindness."
Organizers of the "Welcome Home A Hero" program, including the Airport, the North Texas Commission and the DFW USO, are actively seeking to recruit new volunteers to the program. DFW has launched the "Welcome Home A Hero" Facebook page as part of the effort, and interested individuals and organizations can also log onto www.dfwairport.com/heroes for more information about how to participate.
"Thousands of North Texans have been enriched by this program, because they have taken time to come and shake a soldier's hand and say hello," said Jim Crites , executive vice president of operations for DFW. "The rewards come in the faces of the men and women in uniform who have experienced our Texas hospitality."
The U.S. military selected DFW in the summer of 2004 to begin receiving the daily 20-hour flights from Kuwait . Once the flights began at DFW, grassroots groups, schools, church congregations and a variety of businesses began to greet the troops on a daily basis. DFW fire trucks greet each military charter on the runway with a "Shower of Affection" to begin the celebration.
About DFW International Airport
Located halfway between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas , DFW International Airport is the world's third busiest, offering nearly 1,750 flights per day and serving 57 million passengers a year. DFW has been named "Best Airport for Customer Service in North America " by an Airports Council International survey of passengers in 2006 and 2007. DFW International Airport provides non-stop service to 134 domestic and 37 international destinations worldwide. For the latest news, real-time flight information, parking availability or further details regarding the many services provided at DFW International Airport, log on to www.dfwairport.com.
SOURCE DFW International Airport
