(photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (AW) Paul DeLaughter) Frank Jones, a Navy veteran, embraces his daughter Air Force Maj. Revonda Grayson, who returned Saturday from a six month deployment to Iraq.

Volunteers came bearing gifts and waving American flags. The group of approximately 300 gathered at the international flight arrival gate to receive some 200 service members as they exited their plane.

Maryland’s Operation Welcome Home is a volunteer group that gathers at airports to greet troops as they return home. The group, which just recently decided on a name, is currently establishing a Web site to better disseminate information.

Capt. Kathleen Thorp, who is stationed at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, unwittingly kick started the organization in March when she gathered a few friends to greet a group of Navy medical personnel returning from the Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait.

‘‘I wanted to go greet some people coming home from Kuwait and I called a few friends to see if they wanted to join me,” Thorp said. ‘‘When I contacted [co-organizer John Flynn], he just ran away with it. We ended up having close to 100 people show up.”

Flynn said the events have no affiliation to any organization or political party. However, various community groups, churches and Cub Scout troops have helped spread the word.

‘‘These are not partisan events. We should all be supporting our troops,” Flynn said. ‘‘I’m organizing this with a lot of friends that are fans of the patriots coming back [from war]. These people come here because they are frustrated to see the lack of support from some of our public officials.”

In only a few months, Operation Welcome Home has snowballed. Now, volunteers are coming from all over the National Capital Area, Thorp said.

This is the third time the group has organized to show their support, Flynn said.

Organizers try to pick a flight once a month, usually on a weekend, so the organization can maximize its volunteer participation.

On Saturday, volunteers serenaded two flights. Shortly after the arrival of the first plane, a smaller group of Navy medical personnel arrived from Djibouti, Africa — most of whom were bound for Bethesda’s National Naval Medical Center.

‘‘People want to help and they want to show support for our [service members], but often they just don’t know how,” Thorp said. ‘‘This group is great because it gives people that chance.”

Retired Army Col. Chuck Thomann, one of the volunteers at Saturday’s event, said the media and the American public are scrutinizing the Global War on Terrorism similar to another unpopular American conflict — the Vietnam War.

‘‘This war, just like Vietnam, is being dictated by politics,” Chuck said. ‘‘The troops overseas are not the ones making the decisions and we need to support them regardless of what the politicians are doing.”

Air Force Maj. Revonda Grayson, who was returning from a six month assignment near Baghdad, was overwhelmed with cheers and applause in the airport.

‘‘This is the first time I have cried since I left,” she said. ‘‘You have no idea how important things like this are [to the troops]. To be welcomed home like this lets [service members] know that what they are doing is appreciated and their sacrifices are not unnoticed.”

During her interview for The Journal, a volunteer interrupted Grayson and said, ‘‘Welcome home. Thank you for your service.” Grayson started to cry again.

To help Operation Welcome Home, contact John Flynn via email at operationwelcomehome@comcast.net.