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• Wednesday, December 11, 2019

  5th District Raises Funds for Airport Military Courtesy Room

  

  5th District Commander Lawrence Behling presents funds to an unidentified military lounge volunteer at Hancock International Airport, along with Jefferson County 3rd Vice Commander Judy Wallace (left), 5th District Auxiliary President Diane Butler (2nd from right), and Department Commander’s Aide Leslie Crossett (right).

  Thanks to the Department of New York’ 5th District, the Gregory J. Harris Military Courtesy Room got a $3,000 boost to serve military men and women traveling through Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport.

  It all began with a visit to the lounge in October, during which 5th District Commander Lawrence Behling challenged his Auxiliary and Sons counterparts (Diane Butler and Shawn Mills) to help raise funds for the military courtesy lounge by Dec. 8.

  District Commander Behling and District Auxiliary President Butler returned with several others on Dec. 10 to present the $3,000.

  The lounge is “one of only a handful of privately funded military lounges in the nation,” according to its website. “…We provide our servicemen and women with snacks, beverages and a comfortable place to wait and rest for flights or transportation to many of the local military installations, in particular Ft. Drum — a US Army base located a little over an hour north of Syracuse. Ft. Drum is home to the 10th Mountain Division and the majority of the military traffic we see comes from these amazing men and women. It truly is an honor to serve them.”

  The lounge is named after a Marine radioman who was captured in Vietnam in 1966 and is still MIA (missing in action).