Hearing that someone's grandfather was a vet is quite common, yes. And the number is 16 million. That said, most of them are dead now. So these days, for someone like myself - barely thirty - it is, in fact, quite uncommon to run across a living WWII veteran. I never have, and neither has anyone I know. I assume things are different for people in older generations. In other news, the sky is blue.

And yes, I am well aware that the father mentioned lived in Germany. Not only did I pay attention in history class, I can also read.

Is there some reason you're being condescending?