During the time I was stationed in Germany I had the opportunity to participate in a leadership tour. One of the places was the site where the Malmedy massacre took place. The tour guide demonstrated where the soldiers were hiding in the swamp. Kind of created strange emotions. Now I travel all over the US in a semi. Some travel centers offer free meals for veterans. I was in the travel center in Nebraska on memorial day a few years ago enjoying my free meal. Eventually a older gentleman came in wearing a uniform with ribbons, shiny shoes and medals on his chest. He was also being assisted by a young couple. The female that was providing assistance approached every veteran in the resturant and thanked them for their service. This was my opportunity to talk with this man wearing the uniform. Without hesitation I first thanked him for his service and eventually he was talking about all the places that he had been in Germany. He would also talk about the friends he lost in battle. I see the tears in his eyes and he is getting upset as he continues the conversation. After several minutes he began to calm down and I was able to explain my experience with the tour of the malmedy massacre site. He asked what it looks like now and I explained it is just a field of tall grass. Seems like this man does not have anyone that can talk about army experience. Not everyone knows what a p38 is or a m35A2. However I was able to understand everything and I could see the excitement and enthusiasm behind the tears. As I looked at the young couple for a indication of what I should do it looked like they wanted me to continue with the conversation. This man has not talked like this for a long time and I can see the emotional reaction. This was the greatest Memorial day ever. I wanted to pay for his lunch and they wanted to pay for mine. When we discovered the option was not available we also had a good laugh.