WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Hometown Hero--USO Volunteer Paulette Nelson

Hometown Hero--USO Volunteer Paulette Nelson

A Savannah woman is making it her mission to be sure every serviceman and -woman is sent off and welcomed home properly. Paulette Nelson has volunteered with the USO for years. Now, her dedication is putting her in the running for a national award with Microsoft. 

If you don't see her at Hunter Army Airfield, chances are she's at the airport. As a volunteer with the USO, Paulette helps with the Third Infantry Division's deployments, working around the clock, greeting 600 to 800 soldiers a day.

"I want them to know that they are appreciated and we're very grateful for what they're doing and that we do care about them and that we're going to be there when they come home," she said, "and we want every single one of them to come home."

Paulette's work has not gone unnoticed. She's one of 15 finalists in Microsoft's Above and Beyond Awards for brightening the lives of our American servicemembers.

"No award can match what I get out of helping the soldiers, but the recognition, it's a nice thing," said Paulette.

Her work doesn't stop here. Paulette has no children in the military, but she and her husband have built three apartments on their property so three soldiers they've taken in have a place to call home.

"It was very important to us for them to have a place to come home that was their stuff not in storage. Their own stuff. They could walk in, turn the key, and they knew it was theirs," she said.

Over the last four years, Paulette has sent off or welcomed home thousands of soldiers on more than 300 flights. She said it's the only job where she gets back more than she gives.

"I've actually seen a man see his baby for his first time, right there at that escalator," Paulette said, pointing across the airport. "He went over and picked his baby up for the first time. It's just things that touch your heart. There's no other feeling like it. The coolest thing about what I do is knowing that I may have made one soldier getting on that plane, I may have taken a little bit of the burden off his shoulders. If I made his day just a little less stressful. If I made him just a little bit more happy, then I'm already a winner."

You can vote for Paulette Nelson in the Microsoft "Above and Beyond Awards" at

http://www.microsoft.com/industry/government/federal/AboveandBeyondAwards.mspx

The winners will be officially named at a ceremony in New York City on November 12.

Reported by: Liz Flynn, lflynn@wtoc.com

If you'd like to nominate a Hometown Hero, you can drop us a line at the station: PO Box 8086, Savannah, GA 31412, or email  us.