https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/11/10/us/ww2-reunion-us-german-veterans/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F


What a story. Even more amazing is there is video to go with it.

Thank you veterans. The battle is only half over when you get home. I cannot imagine the toll.

My first duty station out of Basic was in Germany. We went on a REFORGER exercise and set up railhead in central Germany. One day an old German guy rode up on his bicycle, which had two saddle bags on it. He stopped, and in broken english explained that he was a tanker in WWII. He pulled an old scrapbook out of one saddlebag and showed us old photos of his tanker days in the war. He then pulled out some really good german beer from the other saddlebag and gave to us. It was really cool to see his pictures and hear his tale from the other side of the gun tube.

In the 1960's I was sent to Germany by the Air Force. I was assigned to a ammo storage area in a small town. I rented an apartment from a very nice local.

Both of us in broken German and English discussed our backgrounds. He asked me where I was from and I told him Texas. He commented that he had been to Kentucky and Tennessee.

Since most people visiting the USA don't go solely to those states, I asked him if he had relatives that lived there.

He said no and then raised both of his arms to indicate he had been a prisoner of war.

I was taken aback and was a loss for words.

He smiled and and said "nine nine, ist gud". He went on to explain that he and two buddies searched for Americans for a week so they could surrender. He said the Russians were everywhere and said if the Russians caught them, they would be killed on the spot.

He joked that after the war he wanted to stay but they forced him to go back to Germany.

He has long been gone but what a great guy.