Last year — when I worked in downtown San Diego — I walked down to the harbor and watched the Veteran’s Day parade. I stood behind an elderly veteran (probably 70’ish) who was seated in a folding chair. He wore a ball cap, a Hawaiian shirt, and a pair of SAS shoes. Every time a group of soldiers or the flag came by, he would push off with one arm and then the other, and struggle to his feet. You could tell each time took tremendous effort. It must have taken at least thirty seconds or so to get to his feet.
But he stood up and saluted.
It was one of the most moving things I’ve seen.