This week, Camp Crowder welcomed the first of hundreds of soldiers expected to train here in Neosho before being deployed for peacekeeping duties in Kosovo.

Since 1999, American troops have been serving alongside NATO forces to keep the peace between warring factions of Serbians and ethnic Albanians.

As reported in Friday’s edition, the first group of 100-150 citizen soldiers arrived at Camp Crowder this past Wednesday. They will be in Neosho for four weeks, with another 400 or so troops coming to the camp afterward.

In the next few months, more service men and women will be seen in our streets, our stores, our restaurants.

We should do our utmost to make them feel welcome.

Oh, we could ignore them. We could be shy and merely acknowledge their presence with a nod of the head or a wave.

Or we can summon up our courage, approach them and thank them for their service.

 “See a serviceman, Offer your hand, Say thank you,” or “S.O.S.,” was a program proposed by Neosho Mayor Howard Birdsong last summer in the wake of the tragic Aug. 12 church shooting which left three Micronesian pastors dead.

Showing our thanks doesn’t have to be as elaborate as picking up the check for a table of servicemen in a restaurant, although that would likely be welcomed and appreciated. We can offer a warm hand of friendship. We can say tell them we appreciate their commitment and sacrifice. We can merely say “thank you.”

Let’s give a word or two of thanks to these men and women in uniform.

DAILY NEWS