"Exactly," he was nodding in agreement. "We had orders, we did them to the best of our ability. I've been thanked enough." He smirked at the picture now. "We had one in our group. Talked so much and so loudly that one night a few others held him down while someone else wrapped industrial duct tape around his mouth." His smirk faded. "We lost him during a skirmish."
Silence filled the space between them for a long time before he finally spoke. "I liked Captain America when I was younger. One of the reasons, silly as it seems, that I joined the service. If he could give his life for his country, so could I."
"But then I joined and ... things weren't what I expected. Soldiers weren't noble and true, and the battles weren't black and white. They were shades of gray and every other color. I still kept going, because I made my country a promise, and you just don't back out of that." He looked down at his hands. "Also, because Captain America wouldn't have either."