Was in line at the post office the other day and ended up talking to a very nice elderly lady. Mentioned that I'd seen the USAF car tag and I was a USAF vet. She said I needed to talk to her husband who was waiting in the car, he just loved talking to vets!
So I helped her back out the door and met her husband. He was thrilled that he had a chance to talk to a vet and we had a great little talk. Here it was just after Pearl Harbor Day and I was talking with the former top sargent from Hickam field! He was 90+ and still looking spry. He told me, with pride, that he was a charter member of the WWII museum in New Orleans and liked to drive over there when he could. He also had been in counter intelligence for the invasion of Okinawa. So I mentioned that had been one of the landings my father was part of. His last and fifth amphib assault after the push up through the Solomons. He then wanted to hear about what my father had done and what I had done. Wonderful gent. He did get a quiet look at the end and said that it was getting sad 'cause all his old comrades were pretty much gone now. but he perked up and we exchanged a few more words.
My hats of to the greatest generation. It's always a pleasure to meet another vet like him.
So I helped her back out the door and met her husband. He was thrilled that he had a chance to talk to a vet and we had a great little talk. Here it was just after Pearl Harbor Day and I was talking with the former top sargent from Hickam field! He was 90+ and still looking spry. He told me, with pride, that he was a charter member of the WWII museum in New Orleans and liked to drive over there when he could. He also had been in counter intelligence for the invasion of Okinawa. So I mentioned that had been one of the landings my father was part of. His last and fifth amphib assault after the push up through the Solomons. He then wanted to hear about what my father had done and what I had done. Wonderful gent. He did get a quiet look at the end and said that it was getting sad 'cause all his old comrades were pretty much gone now. but he perked up and we exchanged a few more words.
My hats of to the greatest generation. It's always a pleasure to meet another vet like him.