[caption id=“attachment_13942” align=“aligncenter” width=“480”]Mary Nelson Adams is congratulated during her farewell ceremony on Friday in Georgia. Photo courtesy of Steve Hart Mary Nelson Adams is congratulated during her farewell ceremony on Friday in Georgia. Photo courtesy of Steve Hart[/caption]

Mary Nelson Adams added one more milestone to her USO volunteer career on Friday. But before she said goodbye to everyone else, she needed to see off a few more service members.

Adams, 79,  waved goodbye to nearly two dozen Iraq-bound soldiers at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, before receiving her own ceremonial sendoff. She retired from 12 years of volunteering for the USO of Georgia after a career of bidding farewell or welcoming home nearly 300,000 service members from the recent wars. Her dedication led her to be named the first worldwide USO Volunteer of the Year in 2008.

“Each man and woman in a uniform is our freedom,” Adams told the Savannah News. “I can go home and get in a clean, warm bed each night and they can’t.”

Adams also received citations from military officials on site at the base’s Truscott Air Terminal.

“She has really [helped service members] in a tangible way,“ USO of Georgia CEO Mary Lou Austin said.