Whenever I see an old timer wearing a cap or pin, or otherwise shows he's WW2 vet, I make it a point to go over and say hello. I have heard many great stories over the years!
Yesterday a fellow came into the center I work for, and I chatted him up. He was a survivor of Pearl Harbor, but was working at the docks as a civilian at the time. He described having to do what he could to help out, while not being able to directly fight back. Pretty serious stuff. He later went on to enlist after helping to rebuild Pearl and do salvage work, and was on the ping line in a destroyer escort at Iwo Jima as an anti-aircraft gunner. His description of what it was like at Iwo even turned the heads of some of the teenagers hanging out. I don't think many of them really know what these guys went through.
Shame we are losing so many of them now, we are losing a lot of history.
