Every day is Memorial Day for those who rise early and stay up late to greet troops passing through Bangor International Airport.

Letters of appreciation from family members and friends arrive, regularly, at the NEWS, filled with praise for those dedicated Maine Troop Greeters.

And while we can’t publish the entire contents of each letter, we appreciate their heartfelt expressions and thank them for recognizing the efforts of the Troop Greeters.

Many writers express thanks for the welcome a soldier received upon returning from duty in Iraq or Kuwait.

Such letters came from Julie McAfee, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Thomas Parker, Huntsville, Ala.; Randy and Sharon Park, Spring Creek, Nev.; Phyllis Leavitt, West Lebanon, N.H.; Brian Hawley, Paso Robles, Calif.; and James and Cheryl Hineman, LaValle, Wis.

They are grateful for the presence of the Troop Greeters, and thrilled to have heard a special voice on the phone.

Others, such as Roberta Barrow of Forked River, N.J., and Dr. and Mrs. Shane Hart of Bowling Green, Mo., wrote thanking the Greeters for lifting the spirits of soldiers heading for Kuwait.

JoAnne Sinclair of Barnett, Mo., with one solider returning from Iraq and another waiting to be deployed, thanks the Greeters for being there “not only to say good-bye, but also hello.”

Stillwater resident Jim Garvin, who winters in Florida, wrote from that state about an e-mail he received of “a GI’s personal account” of his return home, beginning with “God Bless Bangor, Maine!”

Donald Wilkinson, Rehoboth Beach, Del., sent a lengthy piece his son-in-law wrote of departing for Iraq.

Leaving from Fort Bragg, N.C., with another large group of soldiers, his small “advance party for the main group” stood and watched as soldiers and families bid farewell, leaving to “hoops and hollers” from the crowd.

When his unit was called, “our leader simply said, here, we gathered our gear,” and left in silence.

But it was quite different during a layover in Bangor.

When they deplaned, expecting to find “a totally lifeless terminal,” there were the Troop Greeters, under the “Welcome Heroes” sign.

Hugs, handshakes and thanks from the greeters, finally “made us feel special.”

University of Maine retiree Max Burry, Williamsburg, Va., enclosed a copy of a letter that appeared in The Virginia Gazette.

Under the large, bold headline, “Heartwarming tribute,” Col. Paul Miyamasu wrote of meeting his son in Bangor upon his return from Iraq.

“America needs to know what is going on at the Bangor Airport,” the retired colonel wrote.

The day he and his wife were here, Greeters were at the airport at “midnight, 2 a.m., 4:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m.,” and met “five more [planes] that day, up to 10:30 p.m.”

“These volunteers are great Americans,” he wrote, urging readers to visit www.mainetroopgreeters.com for more information.

Marine Vietnam veteran John App, San Diego, Ca., wrote “Dear Bangor Maine Residents” after reading “a very touching article” sent by a fellow Vietnam veteran about our Troop Greeters, expressing the wish he lived here so he “could join them.”

App admitted it took him awhile “to get the lump out of my throat, and clear enough vision, to write this, I feel so warmed by the story of the Greeters.”

Then there is the letter from Sgt. Bill Capistran, who had no time to make arrangements for the care of his dog, Mica, when Capistran was deployed with the Maine Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion to Iraq.

He thanks Jonesboro breeder Ralph Nodine for taking the dog, and “most of the people in Jonesboro” who helped bring Mica back to Nodine when Mica ran off in search of his master; Cary and Barbara Haupt of Tenants Harbor; and Ann Todd of Harrington, who helped Mica get through the year.

“Thanks to all of you, I’m getting resettled with my dog in the good, old, USA.”

And finally, an anonymous Maine Troop Greeter wrote to thank a young man who “put money on the table and said something about paying for your meal and thank you to veterans” as four troop greeters ate in between meeting flights at the airport, Easter morning, at Dysart’s in Hermon.

The Greeter wrote “a combination of background noise and aged ears caused the four to sit there, in stunned silence, as the young man walked out without so much as a thank you.”

They apologize, and “thank him for his generosity.”

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.