CHARLOTTE -- One North Carolina veteran spends her free time helping servicemen and women to feel at home even when they're hundreds of thousands of miles away.

Nicky Engel has spent her free time the past five years greeting the thousands of troops who pass through Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

At least three days a week, you can find Engel volunteering with the USO of North Carolina, bringing a little piece of home and encouragement to troops passing through.

Engel, whose father was in the Army, was born in Germany. She went through ROTC in college and served in the Army for about six years.

She says her experiences serving help her to better identify with military members she serves as a volunteer. 

"It sort of identifies who you are. It's another language that you live with. And people don't understand unless you're with somebody else who has gone through it," said Engel. 

Engel hopes her familiarity and experiences with the military help encourage current members she serves. 

"I know what they are going through. I know what it is like to move overseas. I know what it is like to travel alone with your mother, you know, clear across the world....I can relate to that because I did that personally. I really wanted to reconnect with that."

Do you know someone making a difference in your neighborhood?

Nominate him or her as our next "Everyday Hero," by e-mailing everdayheroes@charter.com.