WW2 Vet I met today

[JoeFab29]

I was at the Nashville airport today getting ready to take a flight home. While I was waiting, an elderly gentleman walked past me wearing a cap that indicated that he was a WW2 Vet.

He sat down near me with three women who I later learned were his companion and his two daughters.

I walked over an introduced myself and I thanked him for his service. He told me that he was attending the last reunion of his particular group. He told me that there were very few of them left and those that remain are just getting too old to participate anymore.

This man, at 93 years of age was as sharp as can be. We spent about five minutes talking and in that time he told me a little about his paricipatation in the D-Day invasion at Normandy. He had tears in his eyes as he spoke and by the time he finished, so did I.

I shook his hand once more, told him he was a hero and wished him well. Two other guys approached him and spoke with him as well.

I know that all will agree with me when I write that we must not forget these guys and we must preserve the legacy of the Greatest Generation.

[blue fox]

Heck of a feeling to meet living American history, isn't it?

[coyote1880]

As I am always trying to tell you young people here

We were not the "Greatest Generation"

We were not supermen

Simply a large number of average joes united in a cause

We had a job to do

We applied ourselves

It got done

[mckracken]

As I am always trying to tell you young people here

We were not the "Greatest Generation"

We were not supermen

Simply a large number of average joes united in a cause

We had a job to do

We applied ourselves

It got done

I spent several years working in an assisted living home. Naturally, over the course of time, I got to know many of the residents. One of the nicest was a very unassuming man, in a wheel-chair, who ALWAYS had a kind greeting for me, and often asked about my health or my family or somesuch small talk.
I have a habit of saluting elderly men as a greeting, and he seemed to like it, so I nick-named him General. I had no clue if was actually ex-military or not. It just seemed to fit, and he always got a chuckle out of it.
One day I was in his room doing work, and I noticed an old pic of a young man in a WWII era Army uniform. Probably his first pic in the uniform.
I asked him about it.
Turns out he was Army... and among other campaigns, had participated in the Battle of The Bulge.
I never knew. He didn`t have his medals displayed.(turns out he has quite a few).
He never gave me any indication of the patriot he is, or the horrors he survived.
What a humbling experience it was for me.

[twinheart]

thank you coyote - and you are a hero - it is because of you, and others like you, that I live in freedom - you all stood against evil, bonded together determined to defeat it and protect your loved ones - for generations to come - you saw it as a natural reaction to stopping a bad thing and that was what you did - it may sound simple, but every aspect of it was deadly serious - it was accomplished with grace, honor and quiet dignity and at a high price - you applied yourselves for our benefit - not for glory or recognition, but for us - and all the generations yet to come - you and all your brothers in arms shall never be forgotten, and remain in my prayers each night -

thank you too joefab and mckracken - just as those two heroes touched your lives, you touched theirs -

[coyote1880]

No hero here Twinheart

The Marines only hired me because I talk funny

[tarpoon]

Thank you!

http://www.loc.gov/vets/kit.html
One More Chore 1.jpg

[JoeFab29]

No hero here Twinheart

The Marines only hired me because I talk funny

You Sir, are a humble man. If nothing else, it has to be of some value to you that so many Americans do consider your generation and so many men and women of that time to be "The Greatest Generation".

Yes, there were so many regular Joe's, ordinary men, who lived in an extraordinary time and so many who did extraordinary things.

The key idea that I take out of your comment was that those men and women, of which you were a part, were United in a cause. I fear that our ability, as a people, to unite in a cause may not exist anymore.

I take it that you served in the Pacific theater. Whether or not you are comfortable being referred to as a hero is your business and I respect that. But the service that you and the others who "talk funny" can only be described as heroic.

[coyote1880]

I am thinking that most would still unite against evil

We had those who fought to let Hitler continue

They had loud voices also

But most ignored them and did what we knew needed to be done

For being a hero?

With what I saw, I can hardly claim that.

I am a big Injun

I am a hair over six foot five inches

But I was surrounded by giants

[DeuceFour]

I was at the Nashville airport today getting ready to take a flight home. While I was waiting, an elderly gentleman walked past me wearing a cap that indicated that he was a WW2 Vet.

He sat down near me with three women who I later learned were his companion and his two daughters.

I walked over an introduced myself and I thanked him for his service. He told me that he was attending the last reunion of his particular group. He told me that there were very few of them left and those that remain are just getting too old to participate anymore.

This man, at 93 years of age was as sharp as can be. We spent about five minutes talking and in that time he told me a little about his paricipatation in the D-Day invasion at Normandy. He had tears in his eyes as he spoke and by the time he finished, so did I.

I shook his hand once more, told him he was a hero and wished him well. Two other guys approached him and spoke with him as well.

I know that all will agree with me when I write that we must not forget these guys and we must preserve the legacy of the Greatest Generation.

We can disagree about the Greatest Generation bit, Mr. Brokaw but I'm glad you met someone cool.

[coyote1880]

We can disagree about the Greatest Generation bit, Mr. Brokaw but I'm glad you met someone cool.

There is greatness in every generation

There are heros in every walk of life

[blue fox]

There is greatness in every generation

There are heros in every walk of life

Words of wisdom from a tribal elder. Thank you father

[mgifford]

My father in law is 87. He was in WW2 stationed on a Naval ship in the Pacific..
My father died in a car wreck in 2005.

My parents had two small kids when he was in Denver waiting after training to go to France, for that great day at Normandy.

My mother took a train from Atlanta to Denver to have two days with my father before he shipped out. Two small kids on a train? WOW!

I was born to the day 9 months after my father went on to Normandy from Denver.

I see WW2 Vets all the time at the VA when I go often. They're a special group of heroes.