WATCH: Bill Belichick's Sideline Meeting With 102-Year-Old World War II Veteran
BOSTON (CBS) -- Thursday is, of course, Veterans Day in America. To honor the day, NFL Films busted out a classic clip to share on Twitter.
The clip comes from the Patriots' sideline before a game in 2018. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick -- a man with immense respect for the U.S. armed forces -- was stopped by a fan who was with his grandfather, a World War II veteran celebrating his 102nd birthday.
That man was Norman Taché, who passed away just 10 days ago, on Nov. 1, 2021, at the age of 104 -- three days shy of his 105th birthday. Taché's obituary stated that he served in the Asiatic Pacific Theater during World War II with the Army Air Corps.
Here's how the conversation with Belichick in 2018 went:
Grandson: This is my 102-year-old grandfather. It's his birthday today. He served in World War II.
Belichick: Congratulations.
Grandson: He's a great man.
Belichick: Yeah, it's an honor. It's an honor to meet you. Thank you for being here. 102, I love it.
Taché: I went through a lot in the service, but it was worth it.
Belichick: My dad would have been 100 next year. It was a great generation.
Taché: We were hoping to meet you and I'm glad we did.
Grandson: He said that he's going to make it to 120.
Belichick: There you go!
Grandson: Last year was 110. This year it's 120. So he's got a lot of time.
Taché: You have a wonderful team.
Belichick: Thank you. I appreciate your support.
Taché: It's all you.
Belichick: Thank you. Appreciate it.
Grandson: Thank you for your time, sir.
Belichick: Thanks. You bet. Thank you.
It was a brief moment, but it was nevertheless a nice look at some of the nicer, human moments that don't always get seen on the football field.
Taché also met Robert Kraft before that game, and the team owner invited him to be the team's honorary captain.
