Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - While millions of people are traveling on Christmas Eve trying to get home in time for Christmas, there is one select group for whom the holiday will have special significance.
They're the men and women who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of them passed through Hancock Airport on Friday and were greeted with a warm welcome from volunteers.
19-year-old Cody Huffman, a private from Fort Drum, is among those preparing for deployment within the year for Afghanistan. But on Christmas Eve, his thoughts turned to deployment elsewhere: home.
"I'm excited, I'm ready to see my family," he said.
Huffman is one of many soldiers passing through the Salt City. He was stopping for a rest before boarding a Chicago-bound plane.
The Gregory Harris Military Courtesy room was established at Hancock Airport two years ago. In that time, nearly 30,000 men and women have used the room as an oasis at the airport.
Military Courtesy room volunteers Ingebord Eyre and Betty Halstead were on hand to greet the soldiers heading home on Christmas Eve.
"When they come through here we've often said to each other, I wonder if we're gonna lose one of those guys, you don't know if you'll ever see them again," Halstead said.
Eyre noted that Halstead is "a hugger." The volunteers are part of the warmth the Gregory Harris Room provides to soldiers passing through Hancock.
"It gives a spot for soldiers, to sit or rest, it's a real welcoming feeling," said Army Specialist Justin Coles.
The Gregory Harris Military Room is funded entirely through donations, and is staffed by volunteers 365 days a year, even on Christmas Day.
