Wednesday, May 29, 2013

I met a Veteran today

Around the Tank and Automotive Command (TACOM), it seems like there are a lot of veterans of various lengths of service that work here.  That is expected.  I ran into a retired Chief Warrant Officer today that I had served with in 3-13FA at Fort Sill.  He told me that he'd been looking to find me for a while, because he kept seeing my name on various things.  He had actually been looking for my brother from a different mother (and Tennessee fan), Christopher M. Ford, but he found me today.

That's not what this is about.  The Warren, MI area is not a military town.  There are a couple hundred soldiers here, but that is nothing like the thousands in a town that hosts a Division, so Soldiers are not a common sight.  I went out for lunch today at the local sub shop, and as I was walking toward the door, an older gentleman was approaching me.  As he got closer, he sort of lit up.  He seemed to smile more and walk with a little more spring in his step.  He walked up to me, extended his hand and said, "Sir, I'm Sergeant (I regret I don't remember his name)".  "I served in Vietnam."  I shook his hand and said "Thank you."  He replied, "Thank you for your service." and I said, "Thank you for yours".  At that we released our hand shake and parted ways.  I think this encounter made his day, and it sure made mine.  I think I'll like it here.

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