Acclaimed documentary film about Bangor troop greeters ready for Veterans’ Day
Acclaimed documentary film about Bangor troop greeters ready for Veterans’ Day
When one flies into or out of the Bangor airport, one experiences the thrill of seeing United States military troops departing to or returning from their tours of duty in the Middle East. As they walk through the airport lounge, cheers ring out, led by a dedicated group of senior citizens. The cheers are joined by a chorus of well-wishers, the ordinary Americans who are also at the airport boarding and deboarding planes on their trips from and to Bangor.
On call 24 hours a day for the past five years, a group of senior citizens has made history by greeting more than 900,000 American troops at the Bangor airport. The documentary film The Way We Get By is an intimate look at three of these greeters as they confront the universal losses that come with aging and rediscover their reason for living. Bill Knight, Joan Gaudet (filmmaker Aron Gaudet’s mother) and Jerry Mundy, pictured above, find the strength to overcome their personal battles and transform their lives through service.
This inspirational and surprising story shatters the stereotypes of today’s senior citizens as the greeters, such as Bill Knight pictured above, redefine the meaning of community. The Way We Get By takes a look behind the hearty smiles, handshakes, heartfelt thanks and free cookies and cell phones the greeters bring to the airport, and discovers a world in which the seniors are engaged in their own struggles with aging, disease, loneliness, memories of war and personal loss. The film discovers a remarkable symbiosis between the soldiers’ fighting mission and the greeters’ fight to overcome pain, fatigue and depression in making sure no soldier departs or returns without thanks.
The documentary chronicles the band of determined patriotic senior citizens who meet every flight of war-bound and returning GIs.
Where: The Way We Get By is opening across the country in select theaters. Check for local screenings at www.thewaywegetbymovie.com.
DVD Release: The Way We Get By is available for sale in time for the holidays at www.thewaywegetbymovie.com for $19.99.
On Television: The Way We Get By will have its national broadcast premiere on Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11 at 9 p.m. as part of the POV (Point of View) documentary series on PBS stations nationwide.
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