NORWAY – It’s not so much the painting, the raking and the scrubbing that matters.

No, Operation Spit Shine is about making the guardsmen serving overseas know that there’s somebody back home who cares.

“I retired from here, and my government has taken good care of me and my wife,” said Albert Hill, rake in hand, as he joined active-duty guardsmen in Sunday’s cleanup effort at the Norway Armory.

Hill, who now lives in Waterford, was living in Norway when he joined the Maine Army National Guard in 1947, the first year the 133rd Engineering Battlalion was stationed at the armory. He served in the motor pool until 1974.

Now he gets to go to Brunswick and have his prescriptions filled free, a pretty good deal, he says.

“I read about this and thought I’d come over and give a little something back.”

Sgt. Maj. Paul Luce of the 240th Engineer Group headed up Sunday’s efforts at the armory, which included civilians and rear detachment members of the 133rd Engineering Battalion.

The idea behind the effort is to show support for guardsmen who are serving in Iraq. The 133rd was called up in January; next April will mark one year that members will have been in Iraq.

Luce said he hopes the guardsmen will come home after a year, but it’s still hard to say when they’ll be back. In the meantime, he said, he hopes Operation Spit Shine will serve as a morale booster for the overseas troops.

Cleanup efforts are also planned in the coming months at armories in Belfast, South Portland, Gardiner and Westbrook.