Today i stopped into a local sewing shop owned by an old man named Karl. I purchased a ww2 british helmet not 10 minutes before at the antique shop next store for a whopping $5 cool militaria. I stopped in to the shop to ask if he could sew a pair of pants. He noticed the helmet and asked to see it. I said showed it to him and he said the british helmet did not offer as much protection as the one he was issued. I asked if he was in the U.S army or marines. He said no the german. My jaw dropped i asked if he served during ww2 he answered with a quick yes. After a long talk i had learned he served in the 12th panzer division. It took a little while but he oppened up to me. He kept going on how his helmet was to big for him. He also thought the helmet covers were a nuscence. His got ripped and he discarded it. He was captured in normandy of 1944 and after the war moved stateside and opened the sewing shop in 1953. He also told me his older brother went MIA in russia. He had slight tears in his eyes as he talked. I could see the memories flowing through his mind. He also assured me he commited no war crimes or anything. A stop that was supposed to be only 5 minutes turned into 2 hours. I am glad i stopped in and thanked him for sharing his story. This encounter reassured me that not all germans during WW2 were nazis. After all these years of getting things sewn there i never knew his story until today. I am glad i heard it Please if anyone has any other cool stories please share them!