My dad went to Europe as a replacement in January 1945 during the battle of the bulge. He would be 95 today, but we lost him in 2013. I had 2 other uncles by marriage who served and dad had several friends who were WW-2 vets. Sadly all are gone, I no longer personally know of any living vets from that era.
The most memorable moment of my dads funeral was when the only other living WW2 vet my dad knew hobbled up to dads casket on a cane. He stopped, leaned the cane against a table and stood up straight and tall to give a salute. It was an extreme effort for the old guy to do so. But the effort was appreciated.
