How do you say thanks? It just takes a call

It was cold and it was snowing. The wind was blowing slightly and folks were in a rushto get home and get dinner on the table, start holiday preparations and maybe do a little Christmas shopping — you know, family time.

And yet, one by one, cars pulled into the parking area at the south end of the Long Bridge. Bundled tight, flags, flashlights and lanterns in hand, more than two dozen people made their way onto the bridge waving their flags and waiting.

As drivers passed by, horns honked, lights flashed and the "thumbs up" sign was in frequent display.

Some

After 15-20 minutes, the Lamb family arrived — along with one very surprised U.S. Army sergeant, who thought his parents were pulling over so he could thumb the car's ailing windshield wipers so they could continue the few miles home.

Instead, he found a few dozen people cheering his name and waving flags and yelling, "welcome home."

Justin Lamb was stunned — he couldn't believe that people he didn't know would turn out just to say, "thank you."

Lamb, who has helped coordinate welcome home celebrations for other soldiers, was floored by the turnout for her son, who is slated to head back to Iraq for his second tour of duty.

"Whether it's Justin or some other soldier, to show support and to show they care about them, it just means more than we can say," Sheila Lamb said in a recent interview.

As someone whose "big brother" is in the Navy, I agree. My folks regularly head off to the airport or to some restaurant in the Tri-Cities to welcome a soldier home. It's their way of saying thank you to all of those who turned out to welcome their son home when he returned from the first Gulf War.

The faces can become anonymous and it can be easy to forget the soldiers are someone's son or daughter, someone's brother and someone's spouse.

We want to change that.

Starting today, with your help, we want to put their names on the front page of the paper — and let them know we're the proud home of "Justin Lamb," for example.

If you know a soldier who is serving his or her country — send us their name, the branch of military in which they are serving, their rank and where they are stationed.

You can drop the information off at our office at 310 Church St. in Sandpoint or call me at 263-9534. You can also e-mail the information to me at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com or at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailyybee.com.

It's just a small thing, really, and isn't much in the greater scheme of things.

But little things can mean a great deal when you're far from home and away from the family you love.

Caroline Lobsinger is the managing editor of the Bonner County Daily Bee.