Rest easy now good guardians all,
tho your time has passed,
another generation from deep sleep rises
and hears the clarion call.

You did not fight to rape
You did not fight to plunder
Your glory is still so bright
Heaven is rent asunder.

Once upon a time I worked in an electronics plant that made devices for off-road vehicles and equipment. One of these devices was a metal detector, which would be installed in European versions of the Ford-New Holland combination harvesters.

The metal detector would, one hoped, detect the metal casing of unexploded shells before they got to the threshing part of the combine. The conveyor would stop, and a warning light would tell the operator of the problem.

Aside from shells and grenades, the fields of Europe are full of metal scraps of war that frosts heave to the surface. While those are also harmful to the combine, they will not explode.

A 104 year old man would have been 4 yro when WWI started, and 8 when it ended.

OOOOOps. I didn't read far enough. He was 104 9 years ago, but now he is dead.

My uncle John served. He never talked about it. Funny thing was his last name was Jagdfeld. 100% German, and he never shied from spelling it out for those that wanted to know.
He took me to my 1st pro baseball game. What a fine man he was. Near the end he could no longer recognize my father's sister as his wife of over 40 years. My eyes are leaking.

As stated, the Honorable Lloyd Brown was interviewed 11-9-2005, when he was 104 years old, aged in Grace. Thus he was born in 1901 at the age of zero, and was in his late teens during WW 1 when he served on the battleship USS New Hampshire.

Your face, your faith, your service are forever strung on the golden thread of honor.

Mr. Brown [your rank?, among the highest], I salute you, fingers to my forehead, palms to the sky, offering thanks and blessings to you -- you gave meaning to youth and patriotism.