The Way We Get By

Status: Production

Director Aron Gaudet and Producer Gita Pullapilly are Filmmakers in Residence at WGBH for this film

The Way We Get By is a story about three people at the end of their lives battling their greatest fears and finding a reason to live. It examines the lives of three elderly people in Maine as they put their politics aside to keep a promise to support the American troops, while struggling through the mental, physical and emotional difficulties that come with growing old.  The Way We Get By documents the lives of three Maine troop greeters who overcome tremendous obstacles-- harsh winters, early morning calls, and tiring trips to the airport-- to live a life on-call, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. To date, the Maine Troop Greeters have greeted over 550,000 troops, as 75% of all soldiers and marines heading to and returning home from Iraq fly through Bangor.

The story is told through the eyes of BILL KNIGHT, an eccentric WWII veteran looking for a cure for his loneliness after the death of his wife. JOAN GAUDET, a 74-year-old woman who has spent her life taking care of her 8 children and 12 grandchildren and now must cope with the news that two of her grandchildren are headed to war. And JERRY MUNDY, a jolly veteran who spends most of his time talking about life with his best friend Mr. Flannigan…his dog.

This is a deeply personal story that spans five years of promises kept in the face of mental and physical sacrifice.  It's about individuals who push aside their feelings about a war with no end in sight, and are simply determined to make sure every troop receives a proper sendoff and a warm welcome home.  As the war drags on and the greeters get older, they find that their struggles begin to mirror those of the soldiers.  Together, the greeters and the soldiers try to make sense of their changing views on the war, face their fears of dying, and strive to find meaning in their lives.

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