Today I made an old woman cry and I feel good about it

I was in Save-Mart, our local grocery store. As I turned down one of the aisles, I came across an older man and his obvious wife -- both in their 80s. The man was wearing a baseball hat with the following on it:
USS IOWA
BB-61
I asked if the man had served on board her, and then had to repeat myself as it turned out the man had hearing aids, and I had to speak LOUDLY RIGHT INTO THEM. It turned out they were married on December 3rd 1941, and he was in the navy at the time. He was a Gunner Mate and later transferred to the Iowa and served on board her until 1953. I held out my hand to the man, took his hand, shook it, and said, again LOUDLY INTO HIS HEARING AID, that I was proud to meet him and shake his hand. I then thanked him for doing what he did. I noticed, when I held out my hand that his wife teared up, and by the time I left them, she was obviously very moved, and, once again, very proud of her husband. I was pretty choked up too. Seriously, to meet a gunner mate from the IOWA? Holy crap, what a no kidding around honor.

 

Awesome, Hummel. We do the same thing, any time we meet a veteran. I've gotten my kids into the habit as well. It is very humbling, every time.

 

Must be your day, Hummel. You made a middle-aged (oooh did I really write that about myself!) woman cry too when she read your post......

 

I am glad, and again choked up, that you folks feel the same way. I met another man a few weeks ago, in a different Save Mart (do ALL WW2 vets shop at Save Mart?) with an India-Burma-China baseball cap on. Shook his hand too and thanked him. It means a lot to them, but it also means a lot to ME. We're free because of them.

 

I always shake hands with current and former vets hands. I missed out on combat during my enlistment so I appreciate those who have heard shots fired in anger.