To add perspective to this - I was assigned to the Funeral Detail of the first female killed during Desert Storm. Her dad was a high-ranking Air Force Officer, and she was buried at Riverside Memorial Cemetery (now a National Cemetery).
After the ceremony, he approached us. He spoke to me. (This is when the LT gets pissed off)
The LT tried to interject, and got a stern look, and slinked off. For the next 5 minutes, I carried on a conversation with this man. He wasn't wearing the CMH sash and medal around his neck, just the ribbon, right on top of the ribbon stack from the world, that he'd earned. I noticed that, and asked him about it. He told me the story. The LT is getting SUPER pissed off about the length of this private conversation, at this point. Good.
LT tried to call me off, call me to come over, and Millett looked at him. It stopped then.
We continued the conversation, and I asked him what brought him here today, and he informed me that he was here to put flowers on this son's grave. His son was killed in combat.
That was a very sobering moment, and I had tears in my eyes when I saluted that man. That was a once in a lifetime experience, that in turn guided my early (then) military career.
I had one final question for him, before we parted, and I asked him directly, "Sir, why did you come up to me, and address me today?" His answer was simple. He stated that he enjoyed our performance in that Funeral Detail - and I was the only Ranger in the group. He said he didn't want to talk to anybody else about it, and if I was a Ranger Private, he would have chosen to talk to the Ranger Private.
That's when I teared up and saluted the man. And shook his hand.
What a fuckin' REAL AMERICAN. That talk changed my life.