A collective of retired veterans and local residents known as the "Pease Greeters" have welcomed their 1,000th flight to the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.
The Portsmouth Herald reports the greeters were formed to help active military members feel appreciated before they head overseas or prepare to return home from the New Hampshire airport.
The group traces its lineage to 2005, when a plane carrying about 135 service members landed at Pease to refuel. The greeters have evolved since a handful of people brought out coffee and doughnuts to that initial flight.
Charles Cove, a disabled Vietnam veteran and chairman of the greeters, says the group has approximately 4,000 people signed up to assist with the brief welcome ceremony now held for every military flight at the airport.
The 1,000th flight happened Sunday night.
