The old man has had a career of helping combat veterans find some comfort despite the horrors of war, the loss of friends, the loss of their health and the loss of their illusions.
The old man suddenly realizes:
“Hey that is a lot like getting old, except, of course,
the parts about war happening when you are 20, not 65,
the there is not much immediate terror,
that you can usually chose not to do horrible things,
and that you don’t have to kill anyone and…