At least that is how it has been for soldiers who have deployed and returned from Iraq since 2003.
That is how long Elizabeth Laird, 76, has been meeting soldiers to welcome them home and send them into harm’s way with a hug to hold them over.
Known as “The Hug Lady,” Laird said she started hugging as a volunteer for the Salvation Army in June 2003, and it all happened quite by accident.
“A young soldier in the airport hugged me and thanked me for my service,” she said.
Mrs. Laird, who was surrounded by hundreds of green Army uniforms, then went to the next soldier and hugged him, and the rest, as is often said, is history.
The Hug Lady has changed her tactics a bit since that first one more than five years ago.
Now, soldiers also are treated to a humorous story and a verse from Psalm 91.
“I tell them that when they wake up to ask the Lord to protect them and He will bring them home safe,” she said.
Since that first hug, Mrs. Laird has embraced thousands of troops, and all of them have never been forgotten.
Of course, among her most famous hugs was the embrace she gave to Fort Hood’s III Corp Commander, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, when he returned in February from Iraq.
“I stood out there and I gave him a hug before his wife could get up there and give him a hug,” Mrs. Laird said.
Many of those who return from the war spend a lot of time talking about The Hug Lady on their return trip and often they wonder if she will be waiting for them to return.
In fact, Mrs. Laird said many of those returning from war look forward to seeing her waiting.
“She was here when I deployed in 2005, and she was here in March when we went to the Joint Readiness Training Center,” said Chief Warrant Officer Mickael Tatum, a targeting officer for the 4th Brigade Combat Team. “It just shows that people from the outside community really care.”
Tatum, along with thousands of Fort Hood soldiers, has come to look forward to being greeted by Mrs. Laird at the airport.
Mrs. Laird said she has no idea how many hugs she’s given out since troops began deploying to Iraq in 2003. She plans to continue the selfless service for Fort Hood’s troops for as long as she can.
“I look into their eyes and they believe in something,” she said. “They believe in this country and they would die for it. They don’t want to die, but they know how important this is.”
Sgt. 1st Class Damian Steptore with the 1st Calvary Public Affairs Office contributed to this article.
