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Proud American

Petition calling for terminal to be named after Fort Hood's 'hug lady' gains steam

By Frank Miles Fox News
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More than 84,000 signatures have been collected by late Tuesday for a petition to rename the Fort Hood air terminal after the "hug lady," whose embrace boosted the spirits of thousands of American soldiers over nearly a decade as they shipped out for Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Elizabeth Laird died on Christmas Eve 2015. She was known for attending almost every Fort Hood deployment from 2003 until her death; it’s estimated she hugged 500,000 soldiers, the Killeen Daily Herald reported.

More than 82,000 signatures have been collected for a petition to rename the Fort Hood air terminal after the "hug lady," whose embrace boosted the spirits of thousands of American soldiers over nearly a decade as they shipped out for Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/The Killeen Daily Herald, Marianne Lijewski)

More than 82,000 signatures have been collected for a petition to rename the Fort Hood air terminal after the "hug lady," whose embrace boosted the spirits of thousands of American soldiers over nearly a decade as they shipped out for Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/The Killeen Daily Herald, Marianne Lijewski)

Criss Dougherty, from Nolanville, Texas, signed the petition and left a heartwarming note: “I was so selfish as a young soldier... I was so selfish. I thought ‘why do I have to hug her.’ As I deployed more, she was so vital to my mental health. I signed this, and I have spoken to many who believe that (r)egardless of who the terminal is currently named after, it’s only fitting it be named after Mrs. Laird!”

Ivan Martinez added: “I was one of the thousands of soldiers hugged on their way to (an uncertain) fate. Her hug did more for me than you could imagine. On the way back her hug signifies an end to a long watch. She deserves it more than I could ever express.”

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The terminal currently is named after Army Sgt. George Larkin, one of the noncommissioned officers who flew in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo during World War II.

Larkin died in Burma after his B25 crashed during the raid.