GREETING OUR RETURNING TROOPS

I should share an emotional moment I experienced earlier this week when I took a camera crew out to D/FW International Airport to film troops arriving from Iraq for R&R. I've got to tell you, no matter what your politics, it's an incredibly moving sight as families rush to greet their loved ones, tears streaming down their faces. One young female soldier and her man ran towards one another, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, and he just spun her, laughing and crying, until they were both dizzy. One family in particular caught my eye. The mom and dad (I presume) were just holding onto each other and rocking back and forth slowly while three kids under 10 (I'd guess) held hands and circled them like "ring-a-round-the-rosie." One of my crew said, "It's like the kids are protecting their parents' special moment." My lead cameraman had to stop several times (he's an ex-pro football player, so no girlie-man, Arnie) to wipe the tears from his eyes so he could focus.

For me, the hard part was knowing that they're going back into that Bush-created mess. And next time, they just might not get back home.