Top Gun

It's not everyday you meet members of both the earliest and most recent generation of American Soldier. This weekend I had that privilege.

I always shake hands with veterans. Last night, I saw a frail old man at a restaurant who wore a hat that said, "WWII Veteran." The hat made me realize I was wrong about him being frail. I shook his hand and thanked him for his service. Then my wife and I went to a Bed and Breakfast for the night (needless to say, I really wasn't in the mood to meet anyone new ;) )

The next morning we found about 7 inches of snow on my truck, so I had to borrow a broom to get it off. While I was using the broom, I talked with the guy who was waiting to use it. He had taken the weekend off to spend the night at the Bed and Breakfast with his wife before he had to report back to Hill Air Force Base.

There is an astounding contrast between the two men. One was old and wrinkled, while the other was vibrant and young. One needed help to get to his car, another had the strength to push snow off his with a broom. One wore a veteran's hat to cover his white hair, another sported a recently cut flat-top.

One full of possibilities with so much potential in front of him, the other with past realities; his potential achieved. One fought in WWII, one fought in Afghanistan.

Both equally deserving of our respect and gratitude.