jbulger@journalnet.com

POCATELLO - The Idaho State Veterans Home's motto is "Caring for America's Heroes." Little did Cameron Green know when he came to live there this spring just how much someone would grow to care for him.

Green, 71, spent nine years with the U.S. Navy Seabees. That experience ultimately cost him an eye, necessitating a medical retirement. He then went on to work for the Federal Aviation Administration for a number of years, calling many places his home, including Panama for 10 years.

After he retired, he lived in Lincoln, Mont. ("Home of the Unabomber," Cameron said), Sandpoint, and finally, Pocatello.

Green became friends with the fellow vets there. One afternoon, the wife of a fellow resident took Green aside.

"You know, there's a lady who's got a terrible crush on you," she told him.

That lady was fellow resident Dotti Palmer. She had noticed Green shortly after his arrival, but had been too bashful to approach him.

Armed with the news, Green found he, too, was subject to the jitters, much as he felt as a teenager.

"I think it's harder now," Cameron said. "I think I'm more shy."

Still, he soldiered through it.

"I got the courage up and talked to her," Cameron said.

That was in June. And on Sept. 13, which also happened to be Dotti's 79th birthday, the two tied the knot.

"We ate in the same dining room, but were far away," Dotti said of their paths prior to breaking the ice. "Now we can sit at the same table. There's no age on shyness. There's no age on marriage."

Dotti smiled and hugged Cameron as they awaited transport for lunch at the local senior citizen center. She said Cameron was the first to utter the three little words, allowing her to respond in kind that she loved him, too.

"Now we can say it to each other every day," Dotti said.

They concede it was a whirlwind romance, but they are pragmatic about the speed of their courtship and nuptials.

"We figured we're getting old," Cameron said.

"That's it right there," Dotti said in agreement, smiling.

"I was lucky," Dotti said. "I trapped him before someone else did."

Cameron barked a quick laugh, perhaps signifying he felt anything but trapped.

The home has accommodated the two with their own room, although they are still working on swapping out the twin beds for a queen-sized version.

Dotti, the widow of a career Army man, spent 30 years living all over the world. Now her world is primarily within the confines of the veterans home, with regular sorties into Pocatello. She could not be happier.

"This is the best place on earth to be," Dotti said. "Everything's just perfect here."