Soldiers Get Send-Off from the 'Hug Lady'

Sometimes, all it takes is a simple gesture to provide inspiration to the men and women who serve this country.

Elizabeth Laird, a 77-year-old Salvation Army volunteer from Copperas Cove, Texas, has taken on a special mission: giving out a hug to deploying soldiers as they leave Fort Hood.

Laird has been saying farewell to soldiers since 2003 and has provided so many warm wishes that troops have nicknamed her the "hug lady."

Part of her promise to those who leave for combat is that she will be waiting to welcome them back upon their return. She also reads a letter to the soldiers and gives them a card containing Psalm 91—the Soldier's Psalm, according to the Killeen Daily Herald.

"I wish Americans can see what I see," she told the Herald. "[The soldiers] have the most wonderful look in their eyes. They have a goal and purpose and they're living up to it, and I feel blessed to see that."

Soldier Mickael Tatum, who deployed last year, told the Army press office that Laird's devotion to her cause is an inspiration.

"It just shows that people from the outside community really care," he explained.