It was a long time coming for two World War two veterans to finally see each other once again. After a Roanoke general missed a national reunion because of pneumonia, other vets came to him, including a Congressional Medal of Honor recepient who saved his life.
When retired army general and Roanoke resident Lloyd Ramsey last saw wire technician Bob Maxwell, he didn't know if he was dead or alive.
Maxwell and Ramsey served in WWII in the European theater. Back then Ramsey was his colonel. One freezing night in Eastern France, both men came under fire inside a house.
"I was trying to get out of the house when they threw a grenade over the wall," says Gen. Ramsey. "And Bob just took a blanket and fell on top of the grenade."
"The only thing I could think about was try to find it and throw it back," says Maxwell, who now lives in Oregon. "And while I was on the stone floor I realized my time was up and I better do something different."
Saturday, the 3rd Infantry Division put together this reunion as General Ramsey recovers from pneumonia.
They talked about the war, about the night Maxwell risked his life and what they're thankful for now.
"I remember the good things that happened," says Maxwell. "I remember first of all I remember coming to and realizing I wasn't dead."
"I didn't think I'd ever see Bob again," says Gen. Ramsey. "So that's one thing you'll never forget when a man saves your life like that."
