Not wanting to bore the guy too much, I kept my speech short ‘n sweet (ahem):

“Thank you for your service. Sorry I never got to meet you, but different timelines, ya know? I thought you’d like to know that your kids and their kids brought some of the most beloved people into my life.”

I know that unless there was some recording device in the cemetery (Hadley Cemetery in Holly MI) that nobody could “really” hear me. But I still really, really wanted to say it!