John O'Hare says he deployed into Korea on Christmas Day 1950. He remembers it with incredible specificity, and you can understand why. "I was the only one from my unit who came out alive. That was an awful day."

I met the 94-year-old vet while I was covering the Memorial Day parade in Hawthorne. While he was recounting that day, O'Hare started to tear up and needed a moment to compose himself.

It reminded me of the vets I used to meet at the Vietnam Wall on Veterans Days when I lived in the DC area. I'd hear similar stories from sole survivors of deployments who were still understandably shaken.

I can't imagine the grief and survivor's guilt that I would take forward in that situation. I was fortunate in that my entire unit deployed and returned together, so It breaks my heart to hear these stories.

This is why I like to respectfully lift up people like O'Hare when I meet them. He is the true spirit of patriotism. A grateful nation thanks you, Mr. O'Hare. Hoooah!

See my full coverage of photos in TAPinto Hawthorne and TAPint Fair Lawn/Glen Rock.