Whether they are welcoming home a loved one from overseas or saying goodbye before a deployment, the airport can be a very emotional place for military families, and one in New York is taking a unique approach into helping them through the stressful time. The Greater Binghamton Airport recently opened its new Military Family Room, which affords servicemembers some privacy, according to CBS affiliate WBNG.
The section of the airport is more than just a walled-off area, however. Thanks to $8,000 in funding from a local veterans account, the room features a number of amenities including a flat-screen television and comfortable couches. For servicemember advocates, the room's creation is a victory, and airport officials said they were more than happy to oblige.
"Before this room existed they would go over to the seating area which is [a] very public area," Carl Beardsley, the airport's aviation commissioner, told the news channel. "The TSA came to us and ask if there was a chance to have a room where they could escort them in and give them privacy."
Such areas may be especially important in the coming months and years. The White House and Pentagon are still on course to bring all troops home from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.