The Way We Get By

It’s two in the morning on a frigid day in Bangor, Maine. While most of the townsfolk are huddled under blankets, 86-year-old Bill Knight rubs his eyes, pulls on his boots, and heads to the airport.

Like most mornings, a planeload of soldiers is returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. They trudge off the plane in camouflage and boots and into the warmth of Bangor International Airport in Maine - the exit and entry point for the majority of troops deployed in the Middle East.

Bill is a World War Two veteran and knows what it’s like to come home. He’s on call 24 hours a day to make sure the troops get a proper welcome. He's one of a group of senior citizens who wake up before the crack of dawn to greet troops returning to U.S. soil with hugs and thanks and cell phones to make free calls home.

Filmmaker Aron Gaudet profiled three of them in the film "The Way We Get By," which airs this week on PBS's P.O.V. series. Aron joins us along with his mother, Joan Gaudet, a troop greeter who is featured in the film.