Mt. Bethel welcomes military veterans to join us for many activities we support routinely.
On the second Thursday of each month, 10-12 military veterans from the Mt. Bethel Veterans Ministry arrive bright and early at the Atlanta airport USO to spend the day supporting the troops as they arrive or return for their Rest and Recuperation leave from Iraq and Afghanistan. All Soldiers whose final destination is east of the Mississippi River pass through the Atlanta airport USO (Dallas handles those west of the Mississippi).
Volunteer duty consists of three distinct missions - greeting troops as they come up the escalator from the planes, talking to anxious family members as they impatiently wait for their Soldier to arrive, giving instructions to troops as they arrive to return to the combat zone, and handling any other opportunity for service that comes up.
Upstairs, just outside the USO, two or three volunteers man the baggage storage area, keeping a close eye on the troops backpacks and duffel bags before they check them on the plane to return to war. This duty also includes assembling "goody packages" which are given to the troops before they board the plane. Great conversations with troops of all ranks and all branches of service occur in this area.
The third work area is the kitchen where our volunteers prepare and serve our world famous chili dogs, insure donuts, sweet rolls, sandwiches, and drinks are available (all at no cost to the service member), and also have rewarding conversations with the troops.
The final event, which all volunteers participate in, is leading the troops to get their boarding passes prior to heading back to the war zone. Volunteers pass out goody bags, other volunteers lead the column of twos as they stop for a final briefing and then walk through the atrium area to the applause of an appreciative American public. No first time volunteer ever leaves this duty with dry eyes - it is an emotional event (and old timers also feel the emotion of what these men and women are doing for us - serving in the most important jobs in the world today).
All veterans are invited to join us for this volunteer opportunity. The work starts with meeting at 6:20 in the morning at the church and usually finds us returning to the church by 3:00 in the afternoon. The job entails a lot of standing so comfortable shoes and the ability to stand for a long time are required. If you'd like to volunteer, join us at our monthly Veterans Ministry meeting at Tijuana Joe's at 7:00 pm on the second Tuesday of each month or contact Bob Babcock at babcock224@aol.com for additional information.
The pictures show a typical day at the USO - and all USO volunteer days are memorable ones.
