As an Army photojournalist, I met a bunch of well-known people, but my favorite was Mrs. Esther "Kitty" Buhler Bradley, the widow of General Omar Bradley. I was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, and about three weeks from giving birth to our daughter.
I was driving to the PX, and she was behind me. A dog ran across the street and I slammed on the brakes. She was driving the car behind me, and hit her brakes a little too late. She bumped into me, and of course, we both pulled over and got out. All of me came waddling out, and she was horrified that she had run into a pregnant woman. Heck, I was fine!
We looked the back bumper of my 1979 Toyota Corolla SR-5, and there were a couple of dents in the bumper. Heck, I didn't care! I got to meet Omar Bradley's wife! She was really upset, but I said there's nothing to worry about. She had insurance, but I told her to forget it. She's a writer too...look at her biography...and when she found out I was a photojournalist, she was really thrilled.
She was so upset about the tiny fender-bender but I took her hand, looked at her, and said, "Ma'am, I don't care about dents. Life is full of dents. Right now, I'm very happy to meet you. I am well-versed about World War Two, and I have always admired your husband. He was brilliant, and I know behind every man like General Bradley is a strong, supportive and loving wife. If I may?"
I stepped back, drew to full attention, and saluted her. You won't believe this, but she actually returned my salute! Holy cow!!
She thanked me, I thanked her, and drove that car for over 250,000 miles with the proudest dents in the bumper.